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cG^^ Pet Bo 




A COLLECTION OF INFORMATION 

FOR OLD AND YOUNG 

WHOSE NATURAL INSTINCTS TEACH 

THEM TO BE KIND TO ALL 

LIVING CREATURES 

JACOB BIGGLE 



ILLUSTRATED 



The ■world'' s fiot seen him yet 
Who does not love a pet.'' 



PHILADELPHIA 

WILMER ATKINSON CO. 

1900 






Copyright, ujoo 
WiLMEK Atkinson ("f). 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Vkkface 7 

Chapter I. Dogs 9 

Chapter II. \'arieties of Dogs 17 

Chapter III. \'arieties of Dogs {Conthiued) .... 23. 

Chapter W . The Best Dog for thf: Country Home 31 

Chapter \'. The Shepherd Doc 35. 

Chapter VI. Training the Collie 41 

Chapter \'II. Tricks for Dogs 45 

Chapter \TII. Cats .... 51 

Chapter IX. Varieties of Cats 57 

Chapter X. Diseases of Dogs and Cats .... 65 

Chapter XI. Diseases of Docs and Cats ( t'a/zZ/ww^'rf) 75 

Chapter XII. Ponies, Goats, Sheep, Etc 83 

Chapter XIII. Rabbits .... 87 

Chapter XI\'. Rabbit Hutches and R.a.bbit Diseases . 93 

Chapter X\'. Guinea-Pigs ... 101 

Chapter XVI. Squirrels, Rats and Mice 103 

Chapter X\TI. Other Pets 107 

Chapter X\TII. Pigeons in 

Chapter XIX. B.\nta.ms 123 

Chapter XX. C.anarif:s 129 

Chapter XXI. Other Birds 135 

Index 143 




doesn't this look interestin(; 



PREFACE. 




Although getting to be an 
elderly man, one who likes a 
comfortable rocker, is fond of a 
hammock and an after-dinner 
nap, with various other signs of 
advancing years, yet my fond- 
ness for the dumb friends about 
me, from my favorite horse 
down to the little wren sitting ather door just above me, 
is as deep now as it ever was. In this love for the 
lower animals, however, 1 am only second to my good 
wife Harriet, whose constant thought and effort is to 
make every living creature as happy and contented as 
it can be. 

f^or the horses and dogs she has had watering 
troughs set up along the two roads which skirt Elm- 
wood ; in the winter she throws out seeds and crumbs 
for the partridges, meadow larks and now and then a 
stray robin. The English sparrow comes too, and I 
must say, confidentially, that my love for the birds is 
strained a little when it comes to the sparrows. Har- 
riet has a regular hospital for suffering and home- 
less cats, for lame and friendless dogs, for birds with 
broken legs and wings, — every creature in need of a 
friend finds it in her. 

Elmwood is full of pets. In addition to those 
which belong more particularly to us, Tim and his 



b PREFACE. 

energetic wife Martha have always had dogs, cats, 
birds and other animal friends. Since their children 
have commenced to grow up many other pets have been 
added to the list. I have drawn largely upon their ex- 
perience and have called to my aid much information 
in regard to children's pets derived from their observa- 
tion and reading. 

Every boy or girl should have a pet of some kind ; 
that is, provided he or she will take care of it, watch it, 
look after its wants, keep it clean, and if it is one of 
the intelligent animals, train it. No boy's life is quite 
rounded out if he has not had the companionship of a 
gentlemanly, intelligent, honest dog. In shaping the 
character or life of some interesting pet, the character 
of the young person is formed as well. 

But I cannot condemn too vigorously the practice of 
giving pets of any description to young people whose 
cruelty, thoughtlessness or neglect will cause them 
suffering and frequently death. Few children are natu- 
rally cruel ; most children are naturally careless. Don't 
give young people pets until they are old enough to 
care for them properly, and if they lose interest in them 
and neglect them, give the pet away to some other 
young person whose desire for a pet is so great that 
he will appreciate it and look out for its wants and 
comforts. 

Ebfi 7i 'flod, I goo. 




Chapter I. 
DOGS. 

}'ou can tell what the f>eof>lf of a house are like by the be- 
hai'ior of their dogs. — Tim. 

A very young person is not, as a rule, 
a good one to have charge of a dog; that 
is, for the dog's sake, but I know of no 
company that will have a better influence 
on a boy; on this account I place a well- 
_ ■ bred dog at the head of the list of desira- 
])le pets. To keep a dog healthy and happy it should 
have plenty of outdoor exercise, and this the average 
boy is ready and willing to give him. 1 always pity a 
big dog confined in some little backyard or perhaps 
chained with a four-foot chain and with no chance 
for running or recreation. No wonder such a dog is 
always cross. 

A puppy intended for a house dog should early be 
trained to attend to his wants out of doors. The way 
to do it is to give him frequent opportunities and then 
to chide him and make him ashamed every time he 
forgets himself in the house, and immediately put him 
out of doors. Do not yell at him or chase him, as this 
is apt to make him nervous and lose control of him- 
self, but scold him quietly, and then when he has gone 
out and done as you wish, praise him. A dog will not 
knowingly soil his own bed, but will hunt around for 
some suitable place. If he has been in the house 



lO 



BICiGLE PET BOOK. 




awhile and seems to be uneasy and be smelling around, 
put him out at once. Train him to " speak " by bark- 
ing once when he wants to be let out, also when he 
wants to come in. Don't let him form the habit of 
scratching the doors. 

The greatest comfort in the ownership of a dog is 
to have one that will mind intelligently and quickly. 
This part of his education must be begun early in his 
life. After he has learned to come to you when called, 
to follow you when ordered to do so, 
and to lie down and stay there when 
you tell him, he has mastered the 
three "R's" of his education, and 
after that you can do almost any- 
thing with him. 

Be firm but kind with your dog 
and have abundance of patience. 
Never give a command you cannot 
enforce. Be consistent, don't let him do one thing one 
day and the next punish him for it. The first time a 
dog commits a fault is the time to correct him. Don't 
let him form a bad habit, such as running out in the 
road and barking at passers-by, or howling at night 
to the disturbance of everybody, and then expect to 
stop him at once. It will take ten times the effort 
then. 

If it is necessary to punish him, two or three 
sharp taps with a little switch, or better yet a roUed- 
up newspaper, over his back at the time the fault is 
committed will probably be all that is necessary. 
Never strike a dog on the head, and, I hardly think it 
necessary to say, never kick a dog. Do not punish a 



KESWICK MIKE. 

Irish terrier, six 
momhs old. 



DOGS. II 

dog some time after the fault has been committed, but 
right at the time, otherwise he will not know what you 
mean. Never break the spirit of a dog. As a dog gets 
older you will lind that a scolding will answer every 
purpose. He will be so anxious to please that he will 
feel very bad when scolded. I used to have a dog 
that was punished by being put in a dark closet, and 
it was all that was necessary. Whenever your dog has 
done something that deserves praise, do not stint him. 

A dog that has acquired the habit of killing 
chickens can often be cured by catching him and ty- 
ing the dead chicken around his neck where he cannot 
scratch it off or reach it. Keep it there for an hour or 
two and keep him away from 
your presence ; he will get so 
tired of the chicken that he will 
never again want to see the sight 
of one. I know of no cure to 
suggest for dogs that will kill 
sheep, except that such dogs bloodhound. 

should not be allowed to run at large. A dog by itself 
is not apt to kill sheep, but at night when they meet 
other dogs they are apt to lose their heads, return to 
their savage instincts when dogs hunted together in 
packs, and do damage to the flock. For a dog that 
will persistently kill sheep there is only one cure, that 
is to make way with him. These are usually dogs that 
have never been rightly trained or disciplined, but 
sometimes a well-bred dog will fall into bad company 
and get into trouble, just as the human family does. 

Most owners overfeed their dogs, particularly 
with meat. A puppy that has just left its mother 




12 BKJfJLE PET BOOK. 

should be fed four times a day until it is six mouths 
old, then three times a day until it is full grown. Do 
not give him cake or anything sweet or greasy. Twice 
a day is often enough to feed a grown dog, and some 
feed but once a day ; in that case, the best time to do 
it is in the evening. My plan is to give a light breakfast, 
and the principal meal at night. Dogs that have but 
one meal are apt to bolt their food and suffer from in- 
digestion. Let him have a special dish of his own 
and keep it clean. Give him all that he will eat, but 
no more, as what he leaves is apt to lie around and 
become spoiled. 

There is no better food for dogs that have free 

range than the scraps which 

"^come from the family table, as 

they contain a variety of food 

both good and wholesome. He 

should not have too much potato 

and small bones that are inclined 

to splinter, such as chicken and 

WOLFHOUND. muttou boucs. The dog will chew 

up the latter and eat them, often causing trouble. 

When food is to be specially prepared for dogs, cooked 

meat chopped tine with a quantity of vegetables added, 

bran meal and rice made into a biscuit or pudding will 

be found a good combination. Fried cornmeal mush 

in winter may be occasionally fed. Once or twice a 

week give the dog a big bone from which most of the 

meat has been scraped. It will be good for the teeth 

and jaws, and will amuse him as well. Dog biscuits. 

are good for special occasions, but not for steady diet. 

Long-haired dogs should be washed as often as. 




DorxS. 



13 



once a month in winter, and once a week in summer. 
Smooth-coated dogs keep cleaner, and in the country, 
where there is grass and water, do not need so much 
attention. Have the water slightly warm ; use some 
good dog soap, rubbing it thoroughly into the hair 
until it gets to the skin, and until the dog is covered 
with tlie lather. Don't get it in his eyes or far into his 
ears. Let this lather stay on for five minutes or so, 
then rinse off with cooler water two or three times, 
and rub him dry with a coarse towel or a clean grain 
bag. 

My preference has always been tn keep <nn- dog 
confined at nights. This 
keeps him out of mischief 
and I know where he is, 
and he cannot be sus- 
pected when sheep are 
killed or other damage 
done. If he is kept out- 
side as a watch-dog I chain 
him up to his kennel. 

If you have a dog that 
ought to be a water dog, 
water to teach him. It will scare him and very often 
spoil his future as a water dog. All dogs can swim 
and many will learn to like it if they are not fright- 
ened at first. A good way to begin is to wade through 
a shallow creek and call your dog to follow you. He 
may hesitate at first, but his desire to keep up with you 
will soon induce him to splash through. 

As a rule a dog will not attack a person or other 
dog when off his own ground. When you approach 




A GROUP OK FOXHOrNDS. 

never throw him into the 



14 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

a house where they keep a dog, do not behave as if 
afraid of him. Go on quietly and confidently, and 
as if you belonged there. If the dog growls or barks 
pay no attention to him, but proceed without noticing 
him. Let him smell you all he wants. If he seems 
determined to stop you then, you had better stop and 
wait until some one of the family rescues you. 

It is always best to speak kindly to a strange dog, 
particularly if he looks a little cross, but don't try 
patting him unless he makes the first friendly move. 
I have usually found it a good plan not to be afraid of 
a dog that jumps and runs towards you, and I have 
seldom had any trouble. If you show you are afraid 
the dog is smart enough to see it 
at once, and then if you should 
start to run away he thinks, of 
course, that it is his duty to 
catch and hold you. The dog 
that barks a lot is seldom to be 
KNGLisH GREYHOUND, feared. A friend of mine told 
me of this plan of defense when attacked by a cross 
dog. Hold out your hat towards him, and as he files 
at you he will seize hold of the brim, then if you give 
him a good sharp kick on his jaw from underneath, it 
is very apt to sicken him and he will leave you alone. 
I have never tried this ; it looks as though it might 
work, but dogs are like men, and among them molasses 
will catch more files than vinegar. 

A stranger should never interfere with a dog when 
he is eating. His instinct teaches him to protect his 
food. A dog with a bone knows no friends. Some 
dogs are naturally fighters, but try to keep them from 




DOGS. 



15 



it. If your dog is not too big, when he gets in a 
quarrel pull him out by his tail or leg and tuck him 
under your arm. It will do no good to strike him or 
cuff him, for he thinks it is the other dog hurting him 
and it will only enrage him the more. 



BARKS. 

Never chain up a dog if it is possible to avoid it. 
Never tease a dog and don't let any one else tease yours. 
Don t let any dog try to follow you when you are riding a 
bicycle. 

Good, clean straw makes excellent 
bedding, — but keep it clean by frequent 
changing. 

It is said if a dog is fed onions and 
turnips pretty regularly, he will not be 
troubled with worms. 

A fat, overfed dog is dull and stupid. 
A fresh, vigorous appetite is a great 
sharpener of a dog's wits. 

But one person, so far as possible, 
should have the care and training of a dog 
for a dog, to serve two masters. 

After all, the difference between a useful, valuable dog is 
not so much a matter of breed as it is care and training, espe- 
cially when the dog is young. 

An old piece of carpet or bagging is the best thing for a dog 
to lie on nine months of the year. Straw, hay or shavings 
make a harbor for f^eas. If you use hay or straw see that it is 
changed frequently and that it is always dry. This is very 
important. 




PUG DOG. 

It is hard, even 



l6 P.IGtJLE PET POOK. 

Don't let a little dog or a young dog follow the carriage ; 
the overexertion may injure him. Either make him ride or 
else stay at home. Following a carriage is one of the best 
forms of exercise for hunting and running dogs. Teach them 
also to sit siill while riding in the carriage or wagon. 

Young dogs of the big breeds are apt to form the bad 
habit of jumping up against a person, thereby terrifying timid 
people and soiling one's clothes. To break them of this habit, 
when they jump up hold them by their front paws and step on 
their back toes, not hard enough to injure them, but hard 
enough to hurt. 

Puppies should have lots of exercise. When they are not 
sleeping or eating they should always be running about. In 
cold or wet weather they should have a clean, roomy place 
under cover to run about in, with a large, green bone to pick 
or a block of wood or ball or some other amusement. It is as 
natural for a puppy to play as it is for a child. 




AN ARMLOAD OF PUPPIES. 



Chapter II. 
VARIETIES OF DOGS. 




The more I see of vien the better I like dogs. — Tim. 

There are some fifty or more 
recognized varieties of dogs bred in 
this country. A few of them are 
" all around " dogs whose faculties fit 
them for the varied and active life of 
a country home, but many of the 
varieties have been so developed for 
FAVORITE, special purposes that they would be 
BOSTON TERRIER, unhappy and out of place on a farm. 
It has not seemed worth while in this little work to 
devote much space to those varieties unadapted to an 
active, useful life. 

Some of the Terriers are more ornamental than 
useful. In Europe they have been used to hunt small 
game, rabbits, foxes, weasels, etc., as well as for ex- 
terminating rats. In this country they are mainly 
kept as pets or to kill rats and mice. They generally 
have plenty of persistency, vim and grit and will 
attack the largest foe. They have good noses and 
when trained are nearly equal to a hound in the 
sharpness of their scent. 

Of the Fox Terrier there are two varieties — the 
smooth-coated and the wire-haired. They are cleanly 
in their habits, affectionate and very plucky, it being 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



«ij^C> 



..r*/ 



'• ..M.. — I 



FOX TERRIER. 



one of their faults to quarrel with other and often larger 
dogs. As ratters they have few equals, and they are 
death on cats. They are suspicious of strangers and 
not inclined to be overfriendly with them, and for 
inside the house make admirable 
watch-dogs. Unfortunately they have -■-, "- 
been so closely bred that many are 
nervous and seem to live at too high a 
pressure. At a recent dog show I 
attended, the Fox Terriers made ten 
times more racket than all the other dogs put together. 
Fox Terriers should be white in color with black-and-tan 
markings, particularly around the head. They should 
weigh from twelve to eighteen pounds. The Fox Ter- 
rier's tail is usually cut off, when a week or so old, about 
four or five inches from the body. Right here I would 
like to put in my protest against the cruel cropping or 
docking of dogs of any variety. The practice is as 
unnecessary as it is painful. 

The Bull Terrier is a cross between a Bulldog 
and a Terrier. They are hardy, docile and affectionate, 

make good house dogs 
and ratters, and, consid- 
ering their ancestry, they 
are not particularly quar- 
relsome. I never thought 
Bull Terriers very hand- 
some dogs, and I have 
known some that seemed "sneaky." Bull Terriers are 
divided into families, the Boston Terrier with its 
shortened nose and full eye now being one of the 
most popular. Fashion has decided that Bull Ter- 




BULL TERRIER FAMILY. 



VARIETIES OF DOGS. 19 

riers have their ears clipped so that they stand erect, 
but their tails are not cut. 

The Irish Terrier is a good dog for the farm. 
He is intelligent, a good ratter, and better tempered 
than the Fox Terrier. He will not seek a quarrel, but 
will not go three steps around to av^oid one. He has a 
hardy constitution, makes a good watch-dog and will 
stand any amount of hard work. *The hair is hard and 
wiry and about two inches long. The tail is generally 
shortened to four or five inches. The color should be 
solid, either red, yellow or gray, and the weight from 
sixteen to twenty-four pounds. See illustration, p. lo. 

The Airdale Terrier has a good name in 
England as a useful dog, but he is little known here. 
They have rough, shaggy coats, and weigh as much as 
sixty pounds. Other varieties of Terriers less popular, 
less common or less useful than those I have named 
are the Yorkshire, Skye, Scotch, White English, Welsh, 
Black and Tan, Bedlington, Dandie Dinmot and Mal- 
tese Terriers. Scottish Terriers are shown on page 33. 

The Spaniels form a numerous type and are one 
of the oldest breeds in existence. Their hair is long 
and silky, their eyes prominent and their ears long 
and pendant. They are, as a rule, intelligent and 
biddable. They are apt to be snappish 
towards strangers, but are fond of being 
noticed and petted. Spaniels may 
roughly be divided into two groups- 
the toy dogs or ladies' lap dogs and the cocker spaniel. 
larger, active hunting or fried Spaniels. In the first 
are included the Japanese, King Charles, Prince 
Charles, Blenheim and Ruby Spaniels. 



mteiiigent ana 



20 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

The Cocker is perhaps the best known of the 
larger and more useful class. He is a light, active, 
general purpose dog, inclining, however, to put on fat 
as he grows older. The coat is thick, curly and wavy, 
and the color a solid liver, red, lemon and black and 
combinations of any one of these colors with white. 
The Cocker's tail is usually docked. The ears are 
long, reaching almost to the ground. 

The Field or Springer Spaniel is a larger dog 
than the Cocker and is jet black in color. The former 
weighs over twenty-eight pounds and the latter from 
fifteen to twenty. 

Clumber, Sussex and Irish Water Spaniels 
are all much larger than the Cocker. All these 

Spaniels are useful 
for hunting pur- 
poses. Their scent 
is excellent ; they 
raise the game for 
the hunter's gun 
and retrieve game 
A NKST OF CLUMBER SPANIELS. wliich may liavc 
fallen into the water. Their long thick coats are well 
adapted to resist cold and wet. 

The Chesapeake Bay dog is a local variety of 
water dog that has been bred by the duck hunters of 
that section and is about the only truly American dog. 
He weighs from sixty to seventy pounds and is gener- 
ally of a dark red brown color with a curly coat imper- 
vious to water. 

The Pug dog seems to be adapted for no par- 
ticularly useful end. It is simply a lady's lap dog. It 




VARIETIES OF DOGS. 21 

has the advantage of being cleanly and odorless, but 
with many disadvantages as it grows old. It is par- 
ticularly adapted to city life. 

The Pomeranian or Spitz is now bred also in 
smaller or toy varieties in either black or white. They 
have bad tempers and should not be tolerated where 
there are children. They are, however, sharp, quick 
watch-dogs for inside the house. 

The Dalmatian or Coach dog has short hair 
and is white with black or liver-colored spots the size 
of a quarter dollar closely spotted all over him. His 
ruling passion is the companionship of horses. He is 
a good-sized, muscular dog, capable of enduring fatigue 
and running with the team. Well-bred dogs should 
have spots in their tails as well as on their bodies. 

The French Poodle or Barf.et is said to be 
the most intelligent of dogs, and this seems to be borne 
out by the fact that in dog shows the majority of the 
performers are apt to be Poodles. In Germany they 
are used as water dogs. They have plenty of courage 
and are good watch-dogs, and they rarely attack or 
iMte mankind. Poodles are usually white, brown or 
black, the latter being the popular color. See illus- 
tration, page 46. 

The Bulldog has many admirers, although he 
is not a friend of mine. The best that can 
be said is that they seem to be affectionate 
to those they know. They were originally 
bred, years ago, for bull-baiting, hence their 
name. They will run at a cow or a bull, 
catch it by the nose and hold on to it until 
they are choked so that they will let go. 




22 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



It is the fashion to breed them so that they will be 
as ugly as possible, with short noses and protruding 
teeth and with the skin on their jaws lying in heavy 
wrinkles, the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper. 
Like prize fighters, their brains are not proportionate 
to their strength. I'hey are ungainly in gait and have 
the characteristic of never letting go once they get 
hold. 




Chapte:r III. 



VARIETIES OF ViOG^—Contijiued. 



After all, the difference in dogs is tnore one of care and train- 
ing than it is of breed. A'o animal is more influenced by his 
surrmmdings. — Tim. 

~^^' ^^ Almost all the Hound family have 

^% been trained for generations for hunt- 

iL ^ tm.m''''^k ^^^? purposes, and in some of them 

" \f^"^ M their scent has been highly developed, 

^^'- -^^ and in others keenness of sight and 

tleetness of limb are the main characteristics. They 

ought not to be confined in small places, but should 

have plenty of exercise. 

The Italian Greyhounds are mainly ladies' 
pets, or bred for fancy purposes, with delicate consti- 
tutions. Closely allied to them in shape and size is the 
Whipet, or Running dog. This, however, is not a dis- 
tinct breed, but said to be a cross of the Bull Terrier 
and the Black-and-Tan Terrier with the Italian Grey- 
hound. Whipets are used for running races, as they 
are fleet of foot and have good staying qualities. 

The English Greyhound is a large dog with a 
deep chest, thin but powerful loins, and very long legs. 
They hunt by sight and can catch a rabbit running 
with ease. They can go as fast as an ordinary horse 
without trouble, but they would be out of place and 
unsuited to life on the average farm. See page 14. 

Deerhounds and Staghounds are large dogs, 



24 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

Standing about thirty-one inches at the shoulder, 
and somewhat like the Greyhound in shape. The 
Deerhound is covered with a coat of rough, wiry 
hair. He is popular in Scotland and in the West for 
running- down deer. The Staghound is a smooth- 
coated dog and but little known in this country. 
^J^|k Russian Wolfhounds are big dogs, 

ft-—- ^^^"^ HOUND is a dog from twenty- 

,. /■a^jw^i^ttjte^fer'.^ six to thirty inches high, with a 

DEERHOUND, black aud tan or tan color only. 

There are few pure-bred Bloodhounds in this country, 
those so called being a cross of the clogs formerly used 
in the Southern States for tracking runaway slaves. 
The English Bloodhound is not a vicious dog ; if 
tracking a man and overtaking him, no harm would 
come to the man if he would stop running. The Blood- 
hound is perhaps the only dog that takes pleasure m 
tracking a stranger; most every dog will enjoy track- 
ing his own master. See illustration, page ii. 

In England, the Foxhound has been bred for 
generations, and in this country it has been introduced 
in many sections for hunting in packs. It is intelligent 
and makes a good dog on the farm. The American 
Foxhound differs — is smaller and faster than the 
English. It is able to run as fast as the best race- 
horse. It has a short, dense and glossy coat, and is 
almost any broken color, black, tan and white being 
the most desirable. See illustrations, pages 13 and 47. 



VARIETIES OF DOGS. 



25 




The Beagle Hound is a smaller type of the Fox- 
hound, but less throaty in proportion to its size and 
more delicate in its make-up. Its yelp or cry is the 
most musical of the hound family. The head is broad, 
tapering towards the nose, which is of medium length 
and inclined to be pointed. The ears are full and sharp. 
He is a quiet, peaceable 
chap, attending to his own 
affairs. He is a great rabbit 
dog, and as he gets old is 
fond of hunting on his own 
account. In height, accord- 
ing to the standard, they young beagle hounds. 
should not extend fifteen inches at the shoulder. They 
are especially useful in such parts of the country where 
there are not many places for a rabbit to " hole." 

One of the most peculiar of dogs is the Dachs- 
hund. He will attract attention anywhere. The 
measurements of a good dog of this variety are, 
length from nose to tip of tail, forty-four inches ; 
height at shoulder, ten and one-half inches ; weighty 
twenty to twenty-two pounds. Smaller varieties weigh 
from ten to sixteen pounds and are built proportion- 
ately. In color, they are black and tans, chestnut and 
tans, and solid reds. The skin is looser on a Dachs- 
hund than on any other variety. The Dachshund 
is perhaps the least amenable to discipline of all the 
varieties. 

St. Bernard dogs are among the largest of the 
race. There are two kinds — the short-haired, smooth- 
coated, and the long-haired type. The former is the 
variety bred at the Hospital of St. Bernard, on the Alps^ 



26 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 




ROUGH-COATED ST. BERNARD 
AND BABY. 



where these intelligent dog.s are used to aid and rescue 
storm-lost travelers. At present the long-haired va- 
riety seems to be the most 
popular, but this is mainly a 
matter of choice. In color, 
St. Bernards are orange, 
tawny, red, and gray-brin- 
dled, with a mixture of 
white with any of these ; but 
a white chest, feet, point of 
tail, and white around the 
nose and collar are obligatory for show-dogs. The coat 
of the rough-haired is shaggy, but flat in texture. The 
smooth-haired has a coat like a hound. (See illus- 
tration, page 49.) St. Bernards are not apt to be vicious 
and savage ; they are strong, massive, active and 
courageous. They delight in the company of children 
and are excellent guardians for them. They measure 
from twenty-eight to thirty-live inches in height at the 
shoulder and weigh from one hundred and twenty to 
two hundred pounds. 

English Mastiffs have been bred for years as 
protectors, guardians 
and watch-dogs. They 
have been trained to go 
the rounds of buildings 
and grounds as regularly - 
as a watchman. They 
are docile, and seem to 
have an instinctive knowledge of the difference between 
an honest man and a thief. Usually, just a look at a 
Mastiff is all that a tramp will need. They are patient 




ICNGLISH MASTIFFS. 

Father and son. 



VARIETIES OF DOGS. 



with children and seem to understand tliat the}'' must 
make allowance for their rudeness. A Mastiff will 
usually give warning and threats before he considers 
it necessary to attack: but an aroused, angry Mastiff 
is a veritable demon. They are from twenty-five to 
thirty-one inches high and weigh from one hundred to 
one hundred and fifty pounds. 

The Great Dane or German Mastiff is one 
of the fiercest-looking dogs, with an alert, intelligent 
face and sharp-pointed ears, which are universally 
clipped when he is a puppy. They, or strains of the 
family, have been called Danish Mastiffs, Ulmers, 
Boarhounds, Russian Bloodhounds, Brewer's dogs, 
etc. As a rule, they have fairly good tempers and are 
among the best of watch-dogs, that having been their 
occupation for many generations. They are lighter in 
build than a mastiff and much heavier than a grey- 
hound, but somewhat resemble a cross between the 
two. In color, they are brindled, solid color, or spotted. 
They weigh from one hundred to two hundred pounds. 

The Newfoundland is: 
our largest water dog. One 
objection to the Newfound- 
land is his uncertain temper, 
but this may run only in 
families. While a good watch- 
dog and companion, it is in 
the water that his semi- a landseer Newfoundland. 
aquatic nature is seen to best advantage. No water is 
too cold or rough for him, and he takes instinctively to 
the work of saving any unfortunate who falls in. No 
dog is better pleased when he knows he is serving his 




28 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



master. There are two types. The black, which is the 
common variety, is a curly-coated dog, black as coal. 
Then there is a variety with a splash of white on chest 
and toes and tip of tail. The average height at the 
shoulder is from twenty-five to twenty-seven inches, 
and the weight from one hundred to one hundred and 
fifty pounds. 

The English Setter is a good watch-dog, but 

his training and in- 
stinct have been devel- 
l^.f^l oped to hunt, mainly 
for birds. His keen 
scent enables him to 
locate the game and 
indicate to his master 
by pausing — '' point- 
ing "—and thereby in- 
dicating just where it 
is. The coat of the 
Setter is a soft, silky 
hair, without curl. In 
color, they are black, red, yellow, orange, brown, or 
combinations of these colors with white. See page 34. 
The Irish Setter is a solid, deep, rich mahogany- 
red color, sometimes with a white spot on the breast, 
with some slight variations. It is similar in size and 
shape to the English Setter, but is perhaps more popu- 
lar in this country. They are quick as lightning, but 
their pace never gets beyond their nose. 

The Gordon Setter is a handsome dog, more 
heavily built than the others. The color is a rich, 
glossy plum-black, with rich mahogany-tan markings, 




IRISH SETTER, ENGLISH SETTER, 
AND POINTER AT WORK. 




VARIETIES OF DOGS. 29 

and sometimes a spot of white on tlie breast. He is 
from twenty to twenty-five inches high at the shoulder 
and weighs about fifty pounds. 

Tlie Pointer is another hunting dog, and is 
especially valuable for work on prairies, where the 
dog must go a long time without water. The Pointer 
is said to be more easily trained 
than the Setter, but his temper is 
not so good and he is more apt to 
be snappish. He has an excellent 
nose. Pointers have short coats pointer. 

and are different colors — liver and wliite, orange and 
white, being the most popular in the order named. 
They weigh about fifty-five or sixty pounds. 

So-called " Coon '" dog is not a distinctive breed, 
but is a rough-and-ready dog that can track a coon, 
tree him and then keep him there by barking until his 
master arrives and the coon is shot or the tree cut 
down, when it is the dog's duty to kill ihe coon. One 
of the best crosses for coon dogs is said to be that of 
bulldog with the foxhound. 

The Collie or Shepherd dog and the English 
Sheep dog are treated in another chapter. 



Chapter IV. 
THE BEST DOG FOR THE COUNTRY HOME. 




Love me, love mv doi^. — Martha. 

Don't keep too many dogs. One 
good one will be of more service than 
three ill-trained mongrels, and in the 
average country home, two at most — one 
for the house and another for the barn — 
should be the limit. Get a good dog. 

.It costs no more to keep a well-bred, 

pure-blooded dog than it does some mongrel, " yaller " 
dog, and, aside from the pleasure of possessing a pure- 
blooded animal, there is always the possibility of protit 
from his or her progeny. Some writers have maintained 
that the common dog of no particular breeding is more 
intelligent than his blue-blooded cousin, but I do not 
think so. The different breeds differ much in intelli- 
gence, and dogs of the same breed will show a great 
difference in their ability to learn. 

First, make up your mind for what purpose you 
want a dog, and then get a pup of the variety that gen- 
erations of training and development have fitted for 
that purpose. Personally, 1 do not like large dogs. 
For one thing, they eat as much as a calf, and for 
another, they are apt to get cross and dangerous as 
they grow old. I heartily agree with a friend of mine 
who would not tax any dog under forty pounds, but 



32 BIGGLE PET r.OOK. 

would impose a tax of ten cents a pound a year for 
every pound a dog weighs over forty pounds. Big 
dogs are a nuisance in the house. They spoil the car- 
pets and furniture, and are generally in the way, and 
yet for a dog's best development he should live and be 
brought up in intimate relations with the family life. 

Where, however, a good, big watch-dog is really 
needed, an English Mastiff, Great Dane, St. Bernard 
or Newfoundland will always have a deterrent effect 
on evildoers. The Mastiffs and Great Danes have 
been particularly bred as watch-dogs for generations. 
One look from the fierce face of the Dane will send a 
tramp skipping. The St. Bernard as a watch-dog is 
rather ornamental than useful, as the watching in- 
stinct has not been developed 
in him like in the two former 
breeds. Both the long-haired 
St. Bernard and the Newfound- 
land suffer with the heat of 
summer in this climate. But 
there is always the possibility of 
these big dogs really hurting or 
GREAT DANE. killing some one, so that, unless 

their watching services are really seriously needed, I 
much prefer some active, smaller variety. Burglars 
and evildoers often find ways to silence a big dog 
outside the house, whereas they cannot quiet a little 
dog inside that will make a big racket at the slightest 
suspicious noise. Then big dogs are sometimes util- 
ized to run dog powers for churning, washing, and 
other purposes. Get them to like it and enjoy it if 
possible. The exercise will not hurt them a bit. It is 




THE BEST DOG FOR THE COUNTRY HOME. 



33 



the fault of the Mastiff that he will not take enough 
exercise for his own good. A city friend of mine uses 
one of these powers simply to give his dogs exercise. 

For the care of a poultry yard, the little Dachs- 
hund cannot be excelled. iNo skunks, minks, opos- 
sums, coons or weasels will remain long in the neigh- 
borhood. He will track them, dig them out, and kill 
them relentlessly. Owing to the peculiarly long and 
snake-like shape, he is able to follow them to their 
holes, and this he does fearlessly. He is an independ- 
ent chap, however, and quarrelsome with other dogs. 

For a dog for the barn or stable, the Dalmatian 
or Coach dog has had his fondness for horses developed 
by years of association with them. He will make a 
good watch-dog, and will take care of the wagon, and 
see that nothing is taken from it when delivering goods, 
etc. He is generally trained to run along between the 
front axle and the horse's heels, or right under the pole 
of a double team. Other dogs along the road hesitate 
to attack him in this position, nor will he leave it to 
fraternize with them. Under favorable circumstances 
he is playful and intelligent, but if ill-treated he be- 
comes sullen and dan- 
gerous. 

As ratters and ver- 
min-killers, the Terriers 
have no equal. Quick 
on their feet, ever on 
tlie alert, keen-scented 
and sharp-eved, thev 
will clear the barn or ^^""'^^ scott.sh tkkk.kks. 
granary of mice, and keep it so. The Fox and Irish 





34 BIGGLE PET r.OOK. 

Terriers, particularly, make good house and watch- 
dogs. Of the Fox Terriers, the long-coated one is more 
hardy and less nervous, if he is not so trim looking. 

Of the many kinds of hunting dogs, Setters, Point- 
ers, Hounds, and some of the Spaniels, all are good 

companions, and the care and 
training which have been neces- 
sary to make them valuable in 
the chase have developed their 
A general intelligence as well. For 
a house dog, of these varieties I 
ENGLISH SETTER. wouM prefcr a Cocker Spaniel. 
If properly trained, he can do the work of a Pointer, 
Setter or Hound ; he is not too large for the house,, 
makes a good watch-dog, and is very intelligent. As 
a watch-dog, 1 would select a Setter or Pointer. They 
are of an affectionate disposition towards home-folks, 
but watchful of strangers. The smaller hounds are 
not very obedient, particularly when there is a chance 
of a dash after game. The Chesapeake Bay dog is 
primarily a hunting dog. He is good for treeing squir- 
rels, and as coon dogs they never turn tail. As a 
watch-dog they are equal to the Mastiff. 

But, after all, the dog for the farm or small coun- 
try place is the Collie ; aside from what aid he may 
give with tending and driving stock, he is especially 
the dog of the country. This has been his home for 
generations, and he is alive and alert to all that passes 
on the farm. There is no better or more intelligent 
companion, no better watch-dog. Indeed, 1 am so im- 
pressed with the fact that I have devoted the next 
chapter to telling more fully of his many good qualities. 



Chapter V 



THE SHEPHERD DOG. 



" I will not bite any dog-," says the Shepherd dog, 
save my teethfor the wolf.'" — Old Saving. 



/ must 



^^fr 




■M^- 



For a farm dog the Shepherd 
dog has no equal. There are 
two varieties — the Collie or 
Scotch Collie, and the bob-tailed 
English Sheep dog. The former 
"7— -^iTii^r^ :!_z~^^ - is graceful, intelligent, affec- 
tionate and has every good quality any other dog 
has, except that he is a poor or indifferent hunting dog 
and is afraid of the report of a gun. Harriet likes him 
all the better on this account. He is usually afraid of 
thunder. A more intelligent dog never was born. I 
have one that understands by actual count the mean- 
ing of over one hundred and fifty different words. He 
knows some of them so well that when Harriet says 
in a conversational tone, " I 
guess we will have some 
chicken salad for supper,"" 
Bruce, who has been trained 
to keep the chickens off the 
lawn, will jump up and run 
to the window to see if there collie pui-pies. 

are any chickens scratching the flower-beds, and if 
there are, out he goes to drive them off. 

1 told the story in the Far/Ji Jo iirtial some years ago 




36 



KIGGLE I'ET liOOK. 



of a little girl who was sittincr in front of the fire with 
the toothache and said, " Oh, how my tooth aches ! I 
wish I had a piece of sheep's wool to put in it."" With 
that the Collie which was lying on the floor got up, 
went out and returned in a little while with the tail of a 
lamb, which he laid at the feet of the child, looking up, 
as much as to say, " Here it is."" 

In this brief space I cannot b.egin to tell the hun- 
dreds of authentic stories of the Collie's devotion to 
duty, intelligence and watchfulness. 

No man could be more faithful or conscientious in 
his work. Here is a little story which will illustrate 

this trait. The chief 
shepherd of a big 
flock in the West had 
occasion lately to 
change camp from 
the mountain-range to 
TWO SPLENDID WORKERS. his fecdlug grouuds. 

The distance was three miles. One of the Collies had 
at the range a litter of five puppies, seventeen days old, 
which, as she was needed in the drive, she had to leave 
behind. The first night, as soon as the sheep were 
folded at the feeding ground and her responsibilities 
over, she went straight back through a driving snow- 
storm to her young, and spent the night with them. 
Next morning, however, true to her master, she was at 
the corral bright and early for her duties. She remained 
all day, guarding and herding the sheep, and at night- 
fall started back to her babies. This continued for 
eleven days. On the morning of the twelfth day the 
dog was late at the corral and the shepherd felt some 




THE SHEPIIEKD DOG. 



yj 



uneasiness about her. After a little time she appeared, 
bringing one of her pups, which had grown to consider- 
able size, in her mouth. She had struggled all the 
three miles with it, over a rough road. 1 1 was evidently 
her intention to bring the pups all up to the corral, one 
at a time, without sacrificing any of her time with the 
sheep. Somewhat conscience-stricken at his neglect 
of the litter so far, the shepherd hitched up a wagon 
and went to the range after them. He secured them 
all, and gave them and their mother a warm nest close 
to the hearth in the farm house. 

One more story illustrating the Collie's shrewd- 
ness. A farmer 
had sold a bunch 
of sheep to a 
new butcher in 
a neighboring 
town and loaned 
the butcher his 
dog to drive the 
sheep home. The 




A I \ITII1-T1, 



AKDIAX ON DUrV. 

dog drove them so well that the 
butcher became quite covetous and resolved to keep the 
dog and try to bargain for him next day. With this in 
view, he placed the dog, which by the way had never 
been locked up in his life, in an outhouse and left him 
there for the night. The dog, thinking that something 
was amiss, loosened a board, escaped from his prison, 
made an opening in the yard for the sheep and drove 
them all back home to his master, evidently consider- 
ing that a man who would act as the butcher had was 
not an honest man and that the sheep had better be 
taken out of his hands as quickly as possible. 



38 big(;le pet book. 

In form the Collie is about twenty-four inches high 
at the shoulder and weighs from fifty-five to sixty-five 
pounds. The entire form is firm, muscular, well knit, 
with no superfluous flesh. His coat, except on the head 
and legs, should be long, the outer coat straight and 
rather stiff, and the inside or under coat so dense and 
soft that it is hard to find the skin. The smooth-coated 
Collie differs from the rough only in the coat, which 
should be dense and quite smooth. In the matter 
of color there is great variety ; the most popular to-day 
is sable with white markings, although there are many 
which are solid black, black with white marks, black, 
tan and white and solid sable, or what some term fox 
color. 

A Collie is ever on the alert. He can think and act 
for himself. His expression is open, jolly and engag- 
ing and not without cunning, the very picture of intelli- 
gence. On the hills of Scotland, where his training 
and instincts have been developed for generations, he 
and his master were usually far away from human 
associations and often alone together for weeks at a 
time. This training has made him somewhat shy and 
suspicious of strangers, but it drew him closer to his 
master, in whom he has unlimited faith. The Collie 
will watch and guard the children of the household ; he 
is quick to kill rats and all kinds of vermin. He will 
drive stray dogs off the place and keep tramps out of 
the yard. His sense of oversight of all that goes on on 
the farm is remarkable, and the guardianship of his 
master's property is his special delight. He is inter- 
ested in it all and particularly in the family. He is 
never satisfied at night until all of us are at home, 



THE SHEPHERD DOG. 



39 



and he will watch and listen for the tread of the last 
absent member and seem to breathe a sigh of relief 
when all are in. 

The Collie is obedient, but no dog is more sensitive, 
and he will not bear harsh treatment or punishment or 
do good work for a cruel and unjust master. When 
once you have gained his confidence and affection he 
will obey every command willingly, cheerfully and to 
the best of his ability. A trained Collie will, unaided, 
take a flock of sheep out in the morning, care for them 
and guard them during the day as carefully and faith- 
fully as if they were his children, and bring them back 
safe at night. He will drive and herd cattle, hogs, 
and poultry too. 

More dogs are ruined with a whip than without 
one. After scolding your dog, or when you have fallen 
out, remember to make friends with him soon after. 

The so-called Old English 
Sheep dog is less known in this 
country, but already has many 
friends here who have an increas- 
ing interest in this valuable breed. 
He is about the same size as the 
Collie and has all the latter"s good 
points except beauty. The Sheep 
dog is certainly a homely fellow. 
His hair is dense and rather more curly than the Col- 
lie's. His hind quarters are large and heavy, standing 
somewhat taller than his front. It is the only breed of 
dogs, so far as I know, that has absolutely no tail at all. 
Once in a while a puppy will have a regular-sized tail 
or a short one, but the characteristic of the breed is to 




A FAMOUS OLD ENGLISH 
SHEEP DOG. 



40 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



be tailless. They have unbounded courage, and while 
they will not quarrel if they can help it, they are quick 
to guard their charges and to stop meddling and tres- 
passing. The strong point of the Bobtail is his capa- 
city for driving. The Collie cannot be beaten in guard- 
ing and herding the flock as it grazes, but the Sheep 
dog is a better driver, being more deliberate, quiet 
and patient. 



J^BkjlfljflB^^?::^ 



SNOW KING. 

Pure white Collie. 



Chapter VI. 



TRAINING THE COLLIE. 



" Whatever sad mischance o''ertake ye, 
Man, he^s the dr\q; will ne' er forsake yeJ" 

Where 1 live we have 
no work in driving or herd- 
ing sheep for our Collie, so 
that we have never had oc- 
casion to train him for this 
purpose. I give here, how- 
ever, some helpful sugges- 
tions gleaned from various 
sources and pronounced 
correct by those who have 
had practical experience in 
the matter. 

But one person should 
have the training of a Collie, and this one person should 
have the dog's care as well as his confidence and 
affection. 

A simple scolding, not in a rough way but in kind 
and warning tones, or tying him up and chiding him, 
is all the punishment a Collie should have. Positively 
never strike Him with your hands, or in fact with any- 
thing else, to correct his faults. A well-trained Collie 
will do his work by watching the motion of your hands. 
This is the best way for him ; no matter how far away 
he is from the sound of your voice, provided he can 




JKANNIK DRANS. 



42 



JUGGLE PET 1500K. 



see you he will know what you want. A c^ood way to 
teach hand signals is to take small pieces of meat and 
with a wave of the arm throw it one direction so he can 
get it, gradually lengthening the distance, then throw 
it in the other direction. He will soon learn the way 
your hand goes is the way for him to go. 

In training a dog always use the same words of 
command, and as you give these commands accom- 
pany them with appropriate gestures. " Go fetch 'em 
up," "Head away," "Get out wide," "Slow, slow," 
" Hold," are some of the commands used by shepherds. 

A puppy should be 
six months old before his 
training is begun, and 
even then field work 
should not be undertaken 
until he has been taught to 
know and love his master 
and to obey the first simple rules of dog conduct, 
coming when called and staying until told he can go. 
When there are older dogs already at work with 
stock a puppy of three or four months will pick up 
much by being with them. The old dogs will often 
correct them for their faults. 

Don't get angry, don't speak in a loud tone, don't 
expect too much at first, don't allow him to be with the 
stock unless you are there. It is the Collie's instinct 
to drive, yet untrained ; while he probably would not 
hurt them, he would chase a flock of sheep to death. 
When you first start out with him to drive stock keep 
him with you, but don't let him work at all. Let him 
first get accustomed to the stock and them to him. 




HOLDING A SHEEP TO HAVE 
HIS PICTURE TAKEN. 



TRAINIXG THE COLI.TE. 43 

Never let a young and inexperienced dog" try driv- 
ing horses and cattle. In his eagerness and impetu- 
osity he may get badly kicked, which will probably 
make him timid the rest of his life. 

Teach the dog to lie down at the word •' Down." 
The way to do this is to gently press him to the ground, 
repeating the word of command. As you move away 
from him he will naturally want to get up, but go back 
and repeat the lesson. When he has learned to keep 
the position until told to come, take him out with you 
to the stock and make him lie down. Then with a 
little feed or salt get the flock together and gradually 
work around to the opposite side from the dog, then 
call him. He will circle around the flock to come to 
you, and in a few lessons, by signalling with either hand, 
he will comprehend which way you wish him to come. 

When going from you to fetch a flock never allow 
the dog to dash across in front of you, always make 
him go from behind you; it is apt to make them de- 
scribe wider circles, which is what you want. 

A gentleman who has trained many dogs teaches 
them "working around"' by using a big dry- goods box 
placed in one end of the barn floor. When he has 
learned to go around either way as directed he then 
tries the dog in driving a few ducks. 

If he should be inclined to run about and chase 
the stock, take a strong cord and tie it to his collar and 
give it a sharp pull, at the same time commanding him 
" Slow, slow.'' It is a good plan to train the dog when 
the sheep are tired ; they will then be less likely to run 
and more apt to bunch up together. Start work driv- 
ing in a lane or road rather than a held. 



44 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

The young dog is very apt to nip the heels of the 
stock. He must be restrained from this. When a 
sheep lags behind or strays away, start after it. Just 
before he reaches it tighten the cord so that he cannot 
touch it. This will frighten the sheep and it will go 
back to the flock. The cord is the only way to teach 
a dog to go slow. As I have said elsewhere, one lesson 
must be thoroughly learned before another is at- 
tempted. It will be the work of several months to 
train the young dog, and even 
after that there will be much for 




The tendency of the Collie is 
DRIVING OUT THE PIGS, to drlve stock too fast. Try to 
restrain him. Don't expect too much from a young 
dog. Some men haven't sense enough to drive stock. 

Try to be alone when giving the dog his lesson; 
strangers will, occupy his attention and distract him. 

A well-trained dog will not run straight at the 
sheep, but will circle out and come around them. 

Although a shepherd dog takes the greatest inter- 
est in and care of his flock, the sheep never return his 
affection. 

An intelligent dog always watches his master for 
guidance. Don't waste time on a stupid or sulky dog, 
but be sure to give time and patience. A slow begin- 
ning may make a good ending. 



Chapter VII. 



TRICKS FOR DOCxS. 




An old dog cannot learn nriv tricks. — Harriet. 

Every dog is capable of learning 
a few simple tricks, and the more in- 
telligent breeds can be taught an un- 
limited number of amusing perform- 
ances. The pleasure you arid your 
friends will derive from what your pet 
can do, will amply repay you for all 
the time and trouble you may take in his education. 

Below I give the method 1 have employed in 
teaching some of my dogs their best tricks. In start- 
ing, I assume that the dog has been trained to come 
to you, to lie down and to follow you 
" to heel " ; no dog's education can 
successfully be carried on until these 
necessary rudiments have been thor- 
oughly learned. It is a very old 
saying that the way to a dog's heart 
is through his stomach, and it is 
equally true with most dogs that the 
way to their intelligence is by the 
same route. Have a cracker or some little reward 
when he is learning his tricks, and never forget to pet 
him and call him a " good dog "' when he has suc- 
ceeded. The hope of reward is a far better educator 
than fear of punishment. 




MINDING BABY. 



46 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

In training' dogs have the room quiet so that they 
can pay attention. Each lesson must be thoroughly 
learned before the next is tried, and always go through 
the old ones before starting the new. Use as few 
words as possible to convey your meaning, but these 
words should be pronounced slowly and distinctly in a 
firm but calm voice. 

You can teach a dog to shake hands by taking his 
paw and shaking it, at the same time saying, " vShake 
hands." Be caieful always to take the same paw. 

Take a feather and tickle the 
dog's nose, and he will immediately 
commence to sneeze, and at the 
same time command him in words 
to " sneeze " ; he will not like the 
feather very much, and by and by, 
as though his imagination fore- 
A FRENCH POODLE.^ shadowed it, he will sneeze by 
Knows as much as merely having it pointed at his 
some boys. ^^^^^^ ^^^ -^^ ^ j-^^j^ ^l^-j^ |^g ^^-ji 

learn to sneeze at the mere command to do so. 

I used to have an Irish terrier which when I 
asked him, " Mike, which would you rather do, live in 
America or die in Ireland.'"' would keel over, close 
his eyes and remain perfectly still. I taught him by 
placing him on his back, holding him gently on the 
floor and repeating the words " die in Ireland,'"" " die 
in Ireland," over and over. He persisted for a long 
time in wagging his stump of a tail just a little and in 
peeping out of the corner of his eye to see what was 
going on, but he soon learned to feign death perfectly. 
A favorite question is, " Which would you rather do, 




TRICKS FOR DOGS. 



47 



live a Republican or die a Democrat ? '* or vice versa 
according to your politics. Of course, the dog must 
be trained to die at the word " Democrat " or " Repub- 
lican," as the case may be. Don't let him get up until 
you say, "Alive again.'" 

To teach the dog to walk erect, hold a bone or 
something in a spoon a little above the dog's nose, but 
not so high as to lead him to jump to get it. As he 
reaches for it, induce him to rise upon his hind feet^ 
saying as you do so, " Up, up." When he reaches the 
proper standpoint, let him remain 
there a second or two and then let 
him have the bone. Soon he will 
stand upon your merely holding 
your hand in the position described 
and saying, " Up, up." Then he may 
be taught to walk in this position 
by slowly moving the bone or your 
hand slightly in advance. These ex- 
ercises should not be tediously pro- 
longed, especially at first, for the 
position is an unnatural and very 
fatiguing one to the animal. After 
he thoroughly understands what is required of him 
you may check any attempt he may make to regain 
his natural position before you are willing, by a gentle 
tap under the chin or under the fore paws. 

He may, if preferred, be taught to beg without 
learning to stand erect ; in this case he may be made 
to sit down, and then, pressing his haunches down to 
prevent his rising to his feet, tap him under the chin 
till he takes the right position, or better yet set him up- 




FOXHOUNDS IN 
FULL CRY. 



4^ BIGGLE PET JiOOK. 

in the corner of the room. Repetition is, of course, 
necessary until he learns what is desired, and each 
time you place him in position it is well to say " Beg " 
two or three times, so he may associate the word with 
the act. Dogs, like many of the human race, after 
they have got the hang of it will beg persistently for 
the sake of an occasional trifling reward. 

It is better to let the dog thoroughly master beg- 
ging before it is attempted to teach him to "speak 
for it.*' Take a piece of some article of food which 
he is fond of, and allowing hrni to see it, command 
him to "speak for it." Of course he will not under- 
stand what you mean, and will probably only gaze 
wistfully at the morsel. By and 
by he will grow impatient and 
give vent to a sharp bark. The 
moment he has done this give 
OFF TO MARKET. j^j^^^ ^j^^ artlclc, for although he 

has not understood you he has done what you desired, 
and by rewarding him he learns that this is the case. 
If at first he does not show an inclination to bark he 
may be stimulated to do so by your giving a " bow- 
wow " yourself. 

In teaching your dog to toss a morsel in the air 
and catch it, hold a switch or your hand under the 
dog's chin, and tap him whenever he tries to lower his 
head to let the meat drop. If he does not presently 
jerk his head up, and so throw the morsel into the air, 
you should strike him under the chin a pretty smart 
rap to make him do so. When it leaves his nose there 
will be no instruction required to make him seize it 
promptly before it has a chance to reach the ground; 




TRICKS P'OR DOGS. 



49 



should it, however, touch the ground, it is well to take 
it from him and make him toss it again. 

A dainty dog", Jean, belonging to a young friend, 
brings her tablecloth, a newspaper, and spreads it out 
on the floor. The paper was placed in her mouth and 
her jaws held together to prevent the paper falling out. 
She was led from the closet, where the paper was kept, 
across the room to where she was fed, her mistress re- 
peating constantly, "Tablecloth, tablecloth," When 
she reached her destination she was rewarded by her 
meal. Jean learned to bring her tablecloth in live or 
six lessons. Now when she is hungry she sometimes 
goes of her own volition and 
gets the newspaper. If she is 
not hungry it is often impossi- 
ble to 2:et her to bring it, which 




shows better sense than many '^ ^r^^^^p*' 
people have. 

The same friend had a fox %t 
terrier which she taught to smooth-coated st. 
spell his name, " Odie." The Bernard. 

mistress would say '• O " and wait for him to bark, 
then " d "" and wait, then "i" and "e.'' After a few 
lessons he would bark four times and then stop. 

The outline here of a few simple tricks will sug- 
gest to you the method by which many others may be 
acquired. 1 have seen dogs dance to music, jump over 
chairs and through hoops, put their heads down in 
their paws and close their eyes as in prayer and not 
rise until you say "Amen,"" walk on their front feet, 
bring their tail in their mouth, carry lunch out in the 
field to their master, jump rope, dance, and many other 



5© BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

like accomplishments. I knew a dog that would take 
a penny to the butcher and buy each day his supply 
of meat, carrying it home in a little basket. 

Another trick. Hold the dainty before him, keep- 
ing his mouth shut, saying, " Trust, sir, trust." Then 
loose his mouth and say, " Paid for," as he eats it. He 
will soon learn not to take it until it is " paid for." 

\'our dog could master many, or all of these. 
Be gentle, firm and have a good stock of patience and 
you can work wonders with him. Hunting dogs should 
not be taught tricks. Collies are not good trick-dogs, 
they are too dignified. 



^5t'^_. 



Chapter VIII. 



CATS. 




/ thoyoiighly believe that you cannot kill a cat with kind- 
ness. — Harriet. 

Do not deny the children the pleas- 
ure to be derived from intimacy with 
pussy. Of course there are cats and 
^ cats, as there are good and indifferent 
people, but I mean the ideal home-cat 
or romping kitten. 

But only about one growing- child in twenty is a 
proper person to have a kitten or a cat, and nothing 
is more distressing to me than to see a kitten being 
mauled and hurt by a child, often unintentionally, but 
more often "just forj 
fun." While a good- 
tempered, full-grown 
cat will not know- 
ingly scratch or bite 
children, and will 
submit to many in- 
dignities at their 
hands, only endeav- 
oring to get away, a kitten knows no such restraint. 
Children are then apt to find, as a little girl expressed 
it, that " Pussy has pins in her toes.'' 

Many persons neglect to teach their children what 
kind treatment is. If only for self-interest, they should 




52 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 




remember that a tame and affectionate cat is far more 
valuable and companionable than some wild, fright- 
ened, crabbed creature. 

I am one of those who believe that cats are capa- 
ble of deep affection for their guardians, for I have 
seen many cases where cats have 
mourned the departure, or gladly 
welcomed the return, of those they 
have loved and trusted. 

Cats have some advantages 
over dogs as home-pets. They are 
less clumsy, they take up less room, 
do not eat so much, are not so 
noisy, nor do they track dirt into 
the house on a muddy day. They 
are as good, or better, as ratters 
and mousers, and seldom have any 
odor, a fault from which few dogs are free. 

Cats, in their nature, are clean, sagacious, tena- 
cious of life, brave, independent, and usually self-suf- 
ficient. They are irritable by temperament, sensitive 
to changes of weather, to frost, to thunder : they are 
excitable, and naturally disposed to bite and scratch 
when at play ; there is a tendency in them to lose their 
heads when in high spirits. 

A cat's attachment to her home is very great. She 
is unhappy and distressed if she leaves it, and tries 
her very best to get back to it if taken away. Many 
stories are told of the distances cats have traveled in 
going from a new home back to an old one, and of ob- 
stacles they have encountered ; on the other hand, a 
dog will be happy and contented in any place if he is 



NAPOLKON. 

French Angora. 
Valued at $5,000. 



CATS. 53 



ineir lemper rises, 



with his master or his family. Cats will not take pun- 
ishment well ; if they are struck their temper rises, 
they may strike back, and are less 
forgiving than a dog. Beyond a ^\ 
gentle tap to a kitten, a scolding 
will usually be rebuke enough. In ^ 

some ways, cats are smarter than Siamese cat. ^ 
dogs, their attainments running in different direc- 
tions. 

Don't let the boys sick the dogs on the cats. In 
every well-regulated household the cat and dog should 
be on friendly, if not intimate, terms. 

The cats at the barn should have a saucer of milk 
at milking time. Their systems need milk, particu- 
larly if they have been catching 
and eating rats, and you must re- 
member that, when all the mice 
and rats are killed, the picking 
around the barn will be pretty 
poor, and pussy, if hungry, has 
voir NAUGHTY CAT ! nothing clsc to do but turn her 
attention to birds and young poultry. By the way, I 
cured a young cat of chicken-killing by the method 
described on page ii. 

Cats should be fed regularly ; they should have ac- 
cess to grass or catnip, which they use as medicine, 
and also to fresh water. We all know that milk does 
not quench thirst. 

A young acquaintance of mine, by the way, says 
that it is a mistake to feed cats nothing but bread and 
milk. She says the yeasty fermentations from the 
bread cause indigestion and fits, and the lactic acid 




54 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

from the milk breeds in the cat's stomach, as it does in 
cheese, myriads of worms. Under these conditions, 
the cat soon becomes emaciated, coughs, has a poor 
appetite, loses its hair, and finally dies, a victim to its 
owner's ignorance. 

Many cats are fond of celery, asparagus, and other 
vegetables. A mixed diet of scraps, such as comes 
from the table, is the best diet for cats. Rice pud- 
ding makes an excellent feed. As a general rule, no 
meat or fish should be given raw. Cats like their food 
warm, especially in winter. Sour milk is likely to pro- 
duce stomach troubles. 

Cats can be trained to perform tricks, but I never 
yet have seen a cat that looked happy while perform- 
ing ; they should be trained when young. The first 
lesson should be to teach them to 
love and obey, not fear you ; that 
accomplished, you will not find 
it so hard to teach them other 
things, but it will require great 
OUT FOR A RIDE. patieucc in repeating over and 
over what you want done. 

Harriet has a solemn cat, named Solomon, who 
will get in a basket, and be pulled up to the second 
story, when his mistress does not want to go down- stairs 
to let him in. 

Jumping is a feat easily learned ; cats have great 
jumping powers, which can readily be increased by 
practice. A common trick is to teach pussy to jump 
through your arms ; begin by holding them low in 
front of you, with pussy between you and them ; after 
she gets accustomed to that you can hold them to one 




CATS. 



55 




side and increase the height by degrees, until you get 
them right over your head while standing erect. 

With a little patience many other tricks can be 
readily taught, such as ringing a bell, standing on their 
hind legs and begging, giving you their 
paws, playing dead, going to lie down in 
a designated place, shutting a door, or 
opening one with a latch to it, making 
her follow you about the house or street, 
come to your whistle like a dog, or re- khading ! 
trieve, that is bring things to you when told. After 
each performance you should reward your cat, either 
by gently caressing her, or giving her a little dainty 
morsel to eat of what she likes 
best. 

You can usually tell when a 
cat lives at a home where she is 
appreciated by the sleek and 
well-kept appearance. A neg- 
lected cat soon bears evidence 
in itself and does not seem to 
care how she looks. 
Never use a comb in cleaning a cat, it breaks the 
hairs and renders the coat rough. Brush the coat 
well with a soft brush, or rub with a mitten. Wash- 
ing the cat is a difficult job and never necessary or 
advisable unless for some special reason, or for a 
white cat that has gotten soiled. 

To wash a cat, make a soft soap-suds, compara- 
tively thick, apply commencing at the hind quarters 
and tail, and gradually rub in until the ears are 
reached. After the soap-suds liave been thoroughly 




ANGORA CAT IN 
CAT BASKET. 



56 



HIGGLE PET BOOK. 



rubbed in, dip the animal, hind feet first, into a tub of 
tepid water to rinse it off. It should then be wrapped 
up in a soft towel and the excess of water pressed out; 
then put in a basket of clean oat straw and kept in a 
warm place, where it will finish the drying and clean- 
ing for itself by rolling in the straw and by licking 
itself, after which it can be brushed with a soft brush. 
When a white cat is washed it im- 
proves its color to rinse in bluing just 
like a white garment. 

Don't try to transport a cat from 
one place to another without carefully 
securing it in some way. It is cruel 
to put it in a bag. Put it in a basket 
or box and see that the lid is fast. 
Cats are often lost in this way, and 
they are so scared and frantic that 




WHITK ANGORA. 



they seem to- completely lose control of tliemselves. 



Long-headed, sharp-nosed cats are said to be the best ratters 
and mousers. 

Don't throw the cat up in the air to see if it will always alight 
on its feet. It always will. 

Contrary to the generally accepted idea, a stai-ved cat is a poor 
mouser. Its sense of smell is developed by good care and feeding. 

If the cat is kept in the house a pan half filled with dry earth 
should be kept where she can always have access to it night and 
day. With care there need be no trouble. 

Cats are said to be good weather prophets If a cat is seen to 
wash her face with vigor, it is going to be stormy, and if she sits 
with her back to the fire, it predicts cold weather. 

A cat that is well fed and cared for will seldom want to go 
roaming at night. Let her have the run of the house, give her a 
bed in a corner and she will be contented and happy. 

Give the cat a little lump of butter on each paw once in a while 
or dab her here and there with fresh cream. She will clean her- 
self all over and the cream and the licking will make her coat 
glossy and sleek. 



Chapter IX. 
VARIETIES OF CATS. 




The hundred dollar cats don't seem to have nine lives like 
common barn cats. — Tim. 

Excepting for the differences in color few people 
realize that there is any difference in cats. The com- 
mon cat of almost all our households is 
the short-haired European cat, which 
has been a companion of civilized man 
for many centuries. Of these cats the 
color is the chief variation, and some 
^ of these have become so characteristic 
' that they have become distinctive of a 
particular strain or breed ; thus many of the so-called 
breeds are simply designations of different colors. 
But even these colors are not absolutely fixed, for 
striped parents may have solid-colored kittens and 
vice versa. Tortoise-shell cats may be produced by a 
solid-colored father and a tortoise-shell mother, and 
so on. 

The long-haired cats of the Angora style are more 
rare and are just at present the varieties most sought 
after. They require a great deal of care to keep their 
coats in order, and their constitutions are not so strong 
as the native kinds. Solid-colored cats are usually 
esteemed more highly than striped cats, yet on the 
other hand tortoise-shell cats are among the most 
prized of our short-haired varieties. 



5 8 JUGGLE PET BOOK. 

The Tortoise-shell in color should somewhat 
resemble the color of a tortoise-shell comb, being a 
black, red and yellow; no white is allowed on any 
part of this variety. The markings must be not only 
deep in color, but distinct and blending evenly where 
they meet. Tortoise-shell toms or he-cats of that 
color, without any white on them, are very rare ; in- 
stcitices have been known where from one hundred to 
live hundred dollars have been offered for a single 
cat ; any cat that would bring that much money would 
certainly be sure of a good home. Pure tortoise-shell 
females are much more common. 

There is another variety of the Tortoise-shell with 
white on it, in which the fore legs, lower part of the 
hind legs, breast, throat, lips and a circle around them 
and a blaze on the forehead are white, the balance 
being tortoise-shell. The head of the Tortoise-shell is 
small and inclined to be round ; ears moderately large 
and pointing forward ; the tail is long and also marked. 
The eyes are an orange yellow. Altogether the Tortoise, 
shell is a graceful, slender, attractive cat. 
Black or White Cats are cats of 
these solid colors. The black cat is 
apt to be the larger of the two. He is 
bold, brave and fierce, full of life and 
daring, and not so fond of being petted, 
is more apt to be a greater thief, but is 
likely to be more cleanly about the 
wHiTK CAT. house, and healthier and more hardy in 
constitution; while a white cat is more quiet, and of 
a gentler and more loving disposition, fond of petting, 
more honest, but of a weaker constitution, and 




VARIETIES OF CATS. 



59 




not so easily trained to habits of cleanliness. To 
be considered first-class a black cat should not have 
a particle of white about it anywhere, and the same 
is true with black hairs on a white cat. A good 
white cat with a short, smooth coat, which must be 
kept scrupulously clean, is a handsome animal. The 
eyes of the black cat should be orange color ; of the 
white cat blue or yellow, the former being much 
preferred. A black cat will get gray hairs through 
its coat as it gets old. 

In addition to these solid colors 
there are gray, red and blue cats. 
The blue or so-called Maltese is not 
of a real blue, but of a slate or mouse 
color. When I was a boy they were 
quite rare, but now are comparatively 
common. They are supposed to have twins. 

come from the Island of Malta, hence their name. 
Those with blue eyes are preferred. They grow 
to a good size and are strong and hardy after pas.s- 
ing tlirough kittenhood. Their heads should be rather 
short and broad across the fore- 
head, with short ears, broad at the 
base. 

The Brov\-n Striped Tabbv 
is one of the largest of our domestic 
cats. The color should be a rich, 
dark brown with markings or 
stripes of deep glossy black. They 
i.ABKv cAi. should have soft, rich fur and the 

stripes should be of uniform width. The markings 
should be graceful in curve and should be closely 




6o BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

defined, that is, the brown and black should bo sharply- 
separated. These cats make the best ratters and 
mousers. They are sometimes called Tiger cats. Their 
eyes are orange color, slightly tinged with green. 

The Banded Red Tabby has bands of deep red 
on an orange ground, making it a handsome cat. In 
addition there are yellow, brown, chestnut, gray, silver, 
light gray and white striped tabbies. The great con- 
sideration with any of these should be the distinctness, 
gracefulness and regularity of the markings and the 
smoothness of their coats. Still further, in addition 
to these varieties or rather colorings I have named 
are Tabby cats which are more spotted than striped. 
They have a ground color of light gray, mouse, red, 
brown, or dark gray with spots of black or white. 

The mixed-colored cats, as a general thing, do not 
attain the size of the solid-colored cats. The principal 
feature in selecting a cat of any of the above colorings 
is to see that the markings are sharp, distinct, and 
evenly located. The size should be as large as possi- 
ble without being too leggy ; the head should be shapely 
with ears not too large and with eyes that match the 

predominant color of the cat's coat; 

the coat should be smooth and glossy, 

the hair short and the tail long but not 

bushy. 

The Asiatic or long-haired cats are 
PERSIAN thought to be more delicate, particularly 
TABBY CAT. as klttcns, than the European or short- 
hairs ; they are not such good ratters or mousers, but 
they make nicer pets, being of a more affectionate dis- 
position, and are fonder of other animals, such as 




VARIETIES OF CATS. 6l 

dogs, rabbits, etc. Their love for their master or mis- 
tress ends only with death. In the country thev will 
roam around a great deal, a habit which should be 
discouraged if intended for breeding or exhibition 
purposes. 

The AxGORA cat, like the Angora goat, has long, 
silky hair, small head and rather short nose, large eyes 
harmonizing with the color of the coat, small, pointed 
ears that are rather hidden by the heavy mane which 
is full and fluffy around the neck, and a long tail curv- 
ing upward with the hair on it 
longer near the body than at the 
top. The body is long as com- 
pared in proportion with common 
cats. Angora cats are of all colors, 
popular in the order named— white, 
black, blue or Maltese, orange or 
red, slate-colored, fawn, mottled 
gray and light gray. Mixed col- 
ors are more common than solid colors. The white 
Angora should have blue eyes to meet popular fancy. 
The black and yellow's eyes should be amber. These 
cats do not reach maturity until about two years old. 
They have good dispositions, are playful and friendly, 
but the females particularly are apt to be nervous. 
The illustration on page 52 shows Napoleon the Great, 
a pure French Angora, with bushy, orange fur. He 
weighs twenty-three pounds and his owner has refused 
an offer of four thousand dollars for him. 

The Persiax cat is perhaps the choicest of the 
long-haired varieties, particularly when pure black, with 
a big fluffy mane and orange eyes. Next in popularity 




62 



RIG(JLE PET BOOK. 




PklZK-WINNING WHITE 
PERSIAN. 

Value, I2.500. 



comes the pure white with pink eyes. No cat is more 
beautiful when its coat is kept in good order, and none 
more bedraggled and untidy when 
dirty and neglected. It is diffi- 
cult for an amateur to distinguish 
between a Persian and an Angora. 
The hair of the Persian is longer, 
straighter and coarser ; the cat is 
longer in body, with a longer and 
fuller-haired tail. On this ac- 
count it looks even larger than 
the Angora. The colors are like 
the Angora, and the temper is 
said to be less dependable, nor 
are they so intelligent. 

The Russian cat's charac- 
teristics are its unusually large body and relatively 
short legs. Its fur is denser and longer, particularly 
around the neck, while the tail is covered from base to 
tip with hair of equal length. In color they come in 
as many varieties as the other breeds I have named. 
Very many of the long-haired cats are crosses of 
the Angora with the Russian or 
Persian cat, and it takes an expert 
to distinguish those really pure bred. 
In this country there is a purely 
American breed called the Coon cat, 
with long hair, now quite common in 
our New England States, particularly 
in the State of Maine. Not long ago 
a consignment of these cats was sent to my neighbor- 
ing city, and while not sold as Angoras, Persians or 




COON CAT. 



VARIETIES OF CATS. 63 

Russians, there was not one person in a hundred who 
could tell the difference. The kittens sold for from 
five dollars to twenty-five dollars each. It is said to 
have originated by a cross of the original cat with the 
raccoon. They are not so domestic as our common 
pets, yet if allowed plenty of liberty they are affection- 
ate, intelligent and as pretty as any. 

The Siamese cat is attracting attention. It is a 
rather small, lithe and graceful short-haired cat. They 
are light, silver-gray or fawn color, with black ears, 
legs and tails. See illustration, page 53. 

The Manx cat, but little known 
in this country, is the name given 
to cats without tails or with only a 
very small one. The Manx cat is 
a great forager, runs like a hare, is 
docile and biddable. They are 
found in all cat colors. There are manx cat. 

still other varieties, as yet but little known here. 

In recent years the raising of fine cats has be- 
come a profitable industry and numerous "catteries" 
have been established in this country. A well-bred 
kitten of some of the popular breeds sells from ten 
dollars to thirty dollars, and as yet the supply has 
not outstripped the demand. This is something 
that the women and girls of our country homes could 
manage. I have heard of a young girl in the country 
who started with three Angora cats and from them 
raised eighteen kittens. From the profit on these 
she was enabled to go to boarding school for a term 
and had money over to help pay the debts of the 
household. 




64 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



The best results in raising kittens are obtained 
where the cats are made a part of the household and 
given the run of the house and grounds. The 

kittens are thus home- 
broken, and if kindly and 
intelligently treated have 
better constitutions and 
are more friendly than 
when raised in a cat- 
tery. When raised in 
this way great care must 
be taken that the breed 
does not become mixed 
with the common cats 
of the neighborhood. A 
kitten that will bring a 
good round price must be one of pure breed and pedi- 
gree and in itself attractive and handsome. 

A cattery is nothing more than a well-built, airy 
and dry poultry house, warmed in winter, with good, 
dry out-door runs enclosed with wire netting. But I 
would advise none of my young friends to go into the 
business on this scale until they have first succeeded in 
raising cats of high degree around the home. 




KING MAX. 

A l'\ill-Blooded Angora. 




Chapter X. 
DISEASES OF DOGS AND CATS. 



IVith dogs and cats, particularly, prevejition is much easier 
than cure. — Tim. 

A dog or a cat, having the run of a farm or village 
home, with a clean, dry place to sleep, and intelligent 
care as to feed, should have very little to trouble it 
in the way of disease. Most troubles come from lack 
of exercise and improper feeding. The ailments of 
domestic animals are singularly like those of the hu- 
man family, and if there is no veterinary doctor to be 
had, and your family doctor has his heart in the right 
place, he will not hesitate to prescribe for the sufferer. 
It would not, however, be professional etiquette to 
offer him a fee for the service. 

A dose the same size as that for a man would be 
right for the big dogs — Mastiff's, St. Bernards, etc.: a 
dose half the size for middle-sized dogs— Pointers, Set- 
ters, etc. : and one-quarter to one-eighth the size for 
the little fellows ; and one-eighth to one-twelfth for 
cats. In regard to age, the mature dog one part, the 
yearling three-fourths of that amount, from six to nine 
months old one-half dose, and from four to six weeks 
old one-eighth part. 

You can usually trick your dog into taking his 
medicine by concealing it in some dainty. Most dogs 
will take castor oil, cod-liver oil, and other remedies, if 
they are mixed up in a little soup. Other remedies, 



66 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



particularly homeopathic, can be mixed with the drink- 
ing water. To administer medicine that cannot be 
given in these ways, have some one hold the dog firmly 
between the knees, and hold open the mouth by twist- 
ing a towel around the upper jaw. Jf a pill, put it well 
back on the tongue, and hold the mouth shut until the 
dog swallows. Liquid medicine can be poured into the 
pocket formed by the lower teeth and lips, then when 
the mouth is closed, this will trickle through the teeth. 
No animal is so determined and self-contained 
as a cat ; no young of any kind is so difficult to feed 

against its will. A well cat is 
hard to kill ; a sick one is 
equally difficult to cure. In the 
administering of medicines, or 
in the performance of surgical 
operations upon the cat, greater 
care is necessary than in the 
case of the dog. The cat will 
inflict severe injury upon the 
person of even its most familiar 
friend ; so in order to proceed 
with safety, it is necessary to 
roll the cat in a piece of rather thick but pliable cloth, 
sufficiently large to go around the animaPs body three 
or four times ; have the fore legs well placed beneath 
the body before starting to roll the animal in the cloth ; 
allow only the head to protrude, then have assistant 
hold the animal upon the lap, with the lower extremity 
between the knees. Do not apply pressure enough to 
injure the animal, but hold firmly. Now, with a stick 
liki a msat skrjwer open the jaws, and by means of a 




PUSSY HAS A BAD LEG. 



DISEASES OF DOGS AND CATS. 67 

spoon slowly pour the medicine well back upon the top 
of the tongue. The cat greatly dislikes being smeared 
with anything ; so be careful not to get the medicine 
upon the fur, or, in case it should, it must be sponged 
away carefully. A pair of tough leather gloves should 
be worn as a protection against the teeth and nails. 
The sick cat is generally as sick as it appears, or even 
more so. Provide the patient with comfortable quar- 
ters as soon as possible. A quiet room without carpet 
is good ; there should be a shallow box filled with ashes 
or sawdust ; another box should contain a soft cushion, 
and, if the season demands it, heat should be supplied, 
but the animal should not be allowed to get in a very 
warm place, as, for example, beneath the stove. 

DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. 

Canker of the Mouth — A disease of the dog and cat, com- 
mon in aged animals and in those closely confined or fed food un- 
suitable or in large amounts. 

Symptoms. — Difficulty in chewing, dropping food from the 
mouth, bleeding from the gums, fetor of the breath, deposit of 
tartar around the teeth, loose teeth, decayed teeth, spongy gums. 

Treatment. — Remove loose teeth and all tartar, wash mouth 
with salt water three times daily, after which wash mouth with 
listerine and water, equal parts, or with peroxide of hydrogen and 
immediately afterwards with tincture of myrrh applied with a 
camel's-hair brush. Feed soft foods and sparingly of meats. 

Choking may result from rapid eating of bones or tough 
meat. 

Symptoms. — Animal distressed, frequent attempts at vomiting; 
may detect the foreign body along the lower margin of the neck. 
Do not mistake the top of the windpipe for the obstruction. By 
external manipulation with the fingers it can often be remedied ; 
give occasional small amounts of sweet oil or other mild grease ; 
in urgent cases send for veterinarian, as instruments may be re- 
quired. 



68 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

Colic. — Acute pain in the stomach and bowels ; rather com- 
mon in puppies and kittens. It is rarely fatal, but repeated attacks 
indicate faulty condition of the digestive organs. 

Symptoms. — Sudden severe uneasiness, animal moves around 
distressed and may howl or moan at times. Abdomen often dis- 
tended with gas. 

Causes — Most common from fermentation of the contents of 
the stomach from overeating or from spoiled food. In puppies and 
kittens may be due to the inability to masticate food perfectly. 

Remedies. — If severe give 20 drops of chloroform in milk or in 
teaspoonful of glycerine, well mixed. This dose is for animal of 15 
to 20 pounds weight. May repeat in 30 minutes. If swollen with 
gas give following every 4 hours: Soda bicarbonate, 15 grains; 
essence of ginger, 5 drops ; water, '^ ounce. Mix. 

Indigestion. — Simple acute indigestion in the cat often fol- 
lows engorgement of the stomach with food. The natural method 
of relief in such cases is by means of vomiting ; grass, and other 
green vegetation, or even hay is frequently eaten by the cat for the 
purpose of inducing vomiting. Cats should always have access 
to grass or catnip. In cases in which the vomiting is persistent, 
give 2- to 3-grain doses of subnitrate of bismuth twice or three 
times daily. Catnip tea is also useful in doses of i to 2 tea- 
spoonfuls. Feed regularly and rather sparingly of food of the best 
quality, boiled milk, lean meat only, and little or no vegetables. 

Medicines. — Bismuth as above directed ; also 5 drops tincture 
gentian twice daily. 

Chronic Indigestion may follow several attacks of colic. 
It is a more serious condition than colic. 

Symptoms. — General unthrifty appearance, appetite depraved, 
animal apt to eat filth of any kind, as manure and other foreign 
bodies ; may have attacks of colic, bloating, diarrhoea, or in some 
cases constipation may be severe. Mouth pasty, breath ofEensivc. 

Causes.— "LiV-Q those of colic, some fault in food or feeding. 
Lack of exiercise and bad drainage or unclean condition of kennels 
also a frequent cause. 

Treatment. — Take of castor oil and glycerine each i ounce, oil 
of cinnamon, 5 drops ; mix well. Give the animal from 1 teaspoon- 
ful to i}^ ounces of the mixture. After the bowels are emptied 
by the above dose, secure the following pills and give i pill twice 
daily for dog of moderate size: Extract nux vomica, 10 grains; 
powdered rhubarb, 20 grains. Mix, and make into 30 pills. 



DISEASES OF DOGS AND CATS. 69 

Give small quantity of salt each day in the food. 

For bloating give small doses of bicarbonate of soda daily in 
milk. 

Diarrhoea is also the result of indigestion in puppies, kittens, 
and also in very old animals on account of poor teeth. 

The attack may be sudden and acute with all the symptoms of 
indigestion. May be sev'ere vomiting. Discharges from bowels 
frequent amd ofEensive. Weakness may be alarming. 

In chronic cases less pronounced symptoms. 

Treatment. — Pure air, clean surroundings, good food in small 
amounts, pure water. 

Give first a purgative dose of castor oil, from a tablespoonful 
to i^ ounces, according to size of animal. 

If severe, secure following prescription, give from i to 6 table- 
spoonfuls, according to size of animal, every 4 hours : Tincture of 
catechu, 2 ounces ; laudanum, 4 drams ; chalk-mixture, 2 ounces; 
tincture of ginger, 4 drams. Mix. Shake well. 

Ptomaine Poisoning. — Cause. — The feeding of spoiled foods, 
especially meats. Often fatal. 

Syviptoms. — Fetid breath, foul mouth, gums often inflamed or 
even ulcerated, severe vomiting, diarrhoea ; later, animal greatly 
prostrated, and later, insensible. 

Treatmeyit. — Cleanse the mouth with salt water, give full pur- 
gative dose of castor oil, and follow with from 5 to 20 grains of 
salol 3 times daily for 3 or 4 days. Give clean water and good sup- 
ply of air. 

Dysentery differs from diarrhcea in the character of the dis- 
charges and in being more often fatal. Discharges slimy mucus, 
and often bloody. 

Treatment. — Enema of ice water should be employed if the 
temperature of the animal is over 103° F. Calomel in doses of 
from I to 5 grains at intervals of 6 hours for a day or two only. 

Constipation.— Common in animals kept in confinement. 
Lack of exercise a cause. 

Symptoms. — Difficulty in emptying the bowels, feces of hard 
character. 

Treattiient. — For many cases simply exercise the animal ; in 
severe cases give full dose of castor oil. Enemas of warm water 
and soap or glycerine repeated every half-hour are necessary in 
severe cases or when the trouble is due to the rectvim being 



yo BIGGLK PET P.OOK. 

packed with hard feces or pieces of bone. Do not attempt to 
treat such cases with violent purgatives. 

Vomiting occurs readily in both dog and cat. Not alarming- 
unless repeated frequently or if ejected matter is bloody, which in 
an indication of irritant poisoning. Defective diet and overeating 
a cause. If common in an animal reduce and change the kind of 
food, give abundant exercise. If of frequent occurrence give the 
animal from 3 to 10 grains of subnitrate of bismuth an hour after 
meals. 

Worms. — Parasitic worms are very common in the intestines 
and stomach of the dog and cat. The belief that puppies are born 
with worms is not based upon fact. The eggs of worms are taken 
by the puppy while nursing. Mature worms, filled with eggs, are 
passed by the puppy's mother or other dogs, and the eggs adhere 
to the teats of the mother-dog or to the food. The puppy becomes 
infected in that manner. Small amounts of worms cannot be said 
to be injurious, but as all parasites should be combated whenever 
possible it is well to treat the animal as soon as worms are noticed. 
All worms passed should be destroyed by fire. 

Worms frequently receive the blame for almost any ailment 
the dog may have, but more puppies die from worms than from 
any other cause. 

Symptoms of stomach worms in puppies. — Enlarged abdomen, 
called pot-bellied, vomiting of the worms, thin condition, indiges- 
tion, and the passing of worms from the rectum. 

Remedies. — Prevent infection by having the mother as free of 
worms as possible, have kennel as clean as possible, have the 
mother well fed that her milk-flow may suffice to nourish the 
young well. A starved or debilitated animal falls an easy victim 
to parasites of any kind. 

The most troublesome worm in the cat is the round thread 
worm which occurs in the stomach. It is sometimes the cause of 
vomiting, during which the worms are thrown off along with frothy 
mucus. The remedy is santonine in doses of i to 2 grains only, 
after fasting, followed in an hour by a tablespoonful of castor oil. 
Treatment of stomach or round worms. — The following is effec- 
tive : Take of santonine 10 grains; divide into 20 powders ; give 
from I to 3 powders in small quantity of milk, every 5 days on empty 
stomach. Follow each dose in half-hour with a purgative dose of 
castor oil. Give remedies for worms on empty stomach. 



DISEASES OF DOGS AND CATS. "Jl 

Small Worms of the Rectum. — Thread-like worms are 
sometimes the cause of trouble, causing- great irritation and rub- 
bing-. The parasites being about one-half inch long may escape 
notice. The treatment is as follows : Take of quassia chips i 
ounce; add i pint boiling water; allow to cool; strain through 
muslin, and with a syringe inject the rectum with i to 4 ounces 
of the liquid once daily. 

Tape Worms, as the name indicates, are flat worms. They are 
formed of segments which increase in size from the head towards 
the opposite end of the worm. As the segments become mature 
they are dropped off and come away with the feces of the infected 
animal. These segments are filled with eggs. To rid the animal 
of tape worm the small or head end of the worm must come away. 

Remedy. — From a reliable druggist secure some powdered ka- 
mala. Two grains is the amount required for each pound of body 
weight of the dog or cat. The stomach should be quite empty, so 
fast the animal for 12 to 24 hours before giving the kamala. No 
purge is required, as kamala has a purgative action of itself. 

Watch the passages and examine with low-power magnifying 
glass any parts of the worm which may be found. If the head, 
armed with a circle of hook-like organs, is found, it means one 
worm secured. There may be two or more present in the same 
animal. The dose of kamala may be repeated in 4 or 5 days. 

Grass is a natural medicine for dogs and cats. In small 
doses, it acts as a purgativ'e ; in large ones, as an emetic. The 
quantity eaten by the animal is generally regulated by the wants 
of nature. Grass also has valuable medicinal properties, and a 
dog or cat, in health and sickness, should have access to it. 

DISEASES OF THE BREATHING ORGANS. 

Catarrh. — Simple catarrh is not rare in both dog and cat. It 
is at times confounded with distemper. Simple catarrh is not 
contagious. 

Sytnptoms. — Evidence of chilly feeling, shivering, temperature 
may reach 103° F., or even higher, nose hot and dry with more or 
less discharge. No cough except when laryngitis (sore throat) or 
bronchitis is present. Appetite more or less impaired. 

Treatnieyit. — Warm, clean quarters, good air without cur- 
rents. Tempt appetite with varied food in small quantities. At 



72 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

the beginning of the attack give quinine in doses of from one-half 
to 5 grains and repeat once only 4 hours later. Keep nostrils clean 
by sponge and tepid water. 

Cause is exposure to cold or wet or filthy surroundings. 

Laryngitis. — Inflammation of the lining membrane of the 
throat. 

Sv>nptoms. — Difficulty in swallowing. Differentiate from 
rabies, in which the swallowing may be impossible on account of 
the paralysis of the throat, tongue and lower jaw. In laryngitis 
the throat is sore upon pressure. 

Diphtheria. — Many authorities claim that cats are subject to 
the above-named disease. The writer has seen cases which cer- 
tainly at least closely resembled the disease, and considers cases 
presenting the following symptoms should be isolated and watched 
carefully : Sudden difficulty in swallowing and in breathing and 
the thro5t upon examination internally showing greater or less 
presence of membrane adherent to the lining of the throat. The 
membrane presents a raised appearance and a dull white color. 
Open the jaws as directed in giving medicine, and with an 
atomizer spray the throat with full strength solution of hydrogen 
peroxide. Repeat twice or three times daily. 

Cause. — Exposure, tight collars, excessive barking. 

Treatment. — Avoid large doses, as danger of choking is great. 
Get the following : Take of powdered chlorate of potash 2 drams ; 
simple syrup i ounce. Mix. Give teaspoonful 4 times daily. 

Bronchitis. — Inflammation of the lining membrane of the 
windpipe and bronchial tubes. 

Causes. — Same as in laryngitis, which it may follow or accom- 
pany. 

Symptoms. — Fever, cough, first dry but later more frequent 
and with discharge of mucus from nose. Respiration frequent 
and may be difficult. 

Treatment. — Warm, clean, but well-\entilated room. Feed 
broths or beef tea. 

As medicine get syrup of ipecacuanha 4 drams. Give from 10 to 
40 drops every 3 or 4 hours, according to weight of the animal. 
Also give from 15 to 60 drops of compound tincture of cinchona 
twice or three times daily. 

Pneumonia and Pli-;uro-Pneu.monia. — Inflammation of the 
lungs. May follow severe bronchitis or accompany it. 



DISEASES OF DOGS AND CATS. 73 

Symptoms. — Similar lo bronchitis to ordinary observer. Tem- 
perature high, animal sits on its haunches, breathing difficult; if 
pleurisy be present the chest is painful on pressure. The appetite 
small or entirely lost. 

Treatment. — Secure cleanliness, air and food, as in treatment of 
bronchitis. Keep animal well blanketed. The medical treatment 
of pneumonia is best left to an expert, as it is decidedly intricate. 

DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 

Eczema.— Frequently confounded with mange, from which it 
differs in not being due to a parasite and in not being contagious. 

Symptoms. — Inflamed and itchy condition of the skin, com- 
monly in the region of the back, neck, top of head and root of 
the tail. Scratching violent, skin inflamed therebj' and becomes 
reddened and exudes a thin serous discharge which hardens and 
forms a scab. This later is scratched off, leaving a raw, angrj' 
surface. The diseased area may spread over the entire upper sur 
face of the body. The odor of a bad case is very offensive. 

Internal Treatment. — Give Fowler's Solution, dose carefully 
regulated to the weight of the animal. For animal the size of a 
fox terrier start with 2 drops twice daily. Continue for 5 days, 
then increase each dose i drop each day until 12 drops are 
given at each dose. Continue at this amount i week, then de- 
crease the dose i drop each day. Any swelling or decided redness 
of the eyelids is indication that the drug be discontinued for a few 
days. The skin should be kept clean by bathing and drying thor- 
oughly. The diet should consist of boiled vegetables as much as 
possible ; small amounts of well-cooked fresh meat is allowable, 
but regular and complete exercise must be enforced. 

Mange. — A disease of the skin due to microscopic parasites. 
Differs from eczema in that it first most commonly attacks the soft 
skin of the under surface of the body. The dog with eczema en- 
joys being scratched, but in the case of mange the skin is de- 
cidedly painful to the animal. The diagnosis is confirmed by the 
microscope, "hy means of which the parasites may be seen. 

Treatment. — Give frequent baths with warm water and soap, 
dry well and apply enough of the following mixture to anoint the 
skin: Take of crude petroleum i pint, \'enice turpentine i ounce» 
oil of tar 4 drams, flowers of sulphur 8 ounces. Mi.x 



74 



BIGGLE PET l^OOK. 



Fleas and Lick. — Most dogs have fleas, and about the best 
one can do is to keep them reduced to a minimum. Even if you 
get your dog free from them he will be sure to gather up a new- 
supply if there are any around or he meets another dog that has 
them. 

In winter spread newspapers on the floor and lay jour dog on 
them, then dust Dalmatian or Persian insect powder over him, 
working it with the hand well into the roots of his 
hair. The fleas will drop out ; gather them up and 
burn them, as they are only stunned. In summer 
nothing is better than washing with some good dog 
soap. As you rinse the lather off the dead fleas go 
with it. Another plan is to take a jDiece of linen, 
saturate it with kerosene and rub well into the hair. 
Then wash off with soap and water. 

Dog lice are long, black, creeping insects that 
seem to live only on dogs. They occasion great itch- 
ing and irritation and are worse on long-haired than 
on smooth-coated dogs. Here is a good remedy : Mix four ounces 
of unslaked lime in a quart of water, mixed well together until a 
creamy substance ; when cool, apply to the dog and let it stay on 
for ten minutes, then wash off. Persian powder rubbed into the 
hair, and a good wash with soap and water will be equally effec- 
tive. 

Fleas on cats can be destroyed by the liberal use of Persian 
insect powder dusted in the fur three times a week. Change the 
cat's bed frequently and destroy with boiling water any of the 
insects which may be thereon. 

Avoid the use of carbolic acid upon dog or cat, as both are 
sensitive to its poisonous effects. 




HARRIET 
WASHING 
FANNIE. 



Chapter XI. 



DISEASES OF DO(;S AND CAT?y— Continued. 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF SPECIAL SENSE. 



Auricular Catarrh. — A disease of the ear frequently asso- 
ciated with eczema. Frequent in long-eared dogs. 

Symptotus.^Firsi is noticed a scratching of ihe ear, the dis- 
eased ear is carried lowest in traveling, frequent shaking of the 
head. Examination of the ear reveals inflamed condition of the 
interior, a discharge first watery, later becoming thicker and 
darker and very ofTensive. 

Causes. — Injury to the ear, as from 
blows ; the scratching induced by eczema 
or fleas may also be a cause, exposure 
to cold and wet, lack of exercise and 
improper feeding. 

Treattne>it. — In early stages clean ear 
with moi>t sponge, after which drop into 
the ear from 4 to 6 drops of pure solution 
of peroxide of hydrogen, repeat twice 
daily. If the discharge is very offensi\-. 
clean the ear twice daily with soft sponge 
moistened with ether, after which dust 
the ear well with the following powder : Take of boric acid 2 
ounces, iodoform 4 drams. Mix. Apply enough to dust the ear 
twice daily. 

Serous Cvst of External Ear. — Syrnptofns. — Apparent 
thickening of the flap of the ear which contains fluid and fluctu- 
ates upon pressure. May be hot and painful. 

Cause. — Some violence to the ear, generally from excessive 
shaking of the head in cases of catarrh or from irritation of flies 
or fleas. 




t.OT THK HARACHK. 



76 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

Treatment. — The contents of the cyst evacuated by opening- 
the cavity freely at lowest point. Keep wound clean, and inject 
cavity twice daily with 5 per cent, creolin and water. Cover any 
raw edges which may appear with powdered burnt alum twice 
daily. 

DISEASES OF THE EVE. 

Conjunctivitis. — Inflammation of the mucous membrane of 
the eyelid. 

Symptoms. — \'ary from simple congested condition with great 
flow of tears to that of intense inflammation wiih catarrhal dis- 
charge of matter which tends to glue the eyelids together. 

Cause. — A very common complication in distemper may 
result from direct injury to the eye or to the presence of foreign 
body in the eye. 

Treatment — Examine for foreign body, if present remove it. 
Absolute cleanliness important ; bathe with tepid water three times 
daily, after which apply with dropper few drops of following mix- 
ture : Take of boric acid 10 grains, distilled water i ounce. Mix. 
If suffering be great apply to eye a few drojis of 5 per cent, solu- 
tion of cocain. 

Keratitis. — Inflammation of the cornea or front covering of 
the eyeball. 

Causes. — Injuries, also frequently as a ctjmplication of dis- 
temper. 

Symptoms. — X more or less opaque condition of the cornea, 
milky color, may cover whole or part of the cornea, later may be 
ulceration with pit-like depression due to death of part of the 
cornea ; this may amount to perforation. 

Treatmetit. — Great cleanliness. Drop in the eye three limes 
daily a few drops of the following solution: Sulphate of zinc 5 
grains, distilled water i ounce. Once daily apply a drop or 
two of the following: Atropia sulphate 2 grains, mixed with i 
ounce distilled water. 

DISEASES OF THE NER\'OUS SYSTEM. 

Epilkpsv. — Commonly known as lits. Frequently mistaken 
for rabies or hydrophobia. Epilepsy is common in both dog and 
cat, especialh- \oung animals. 



DISEASES OF DOGS AND CATS. 77 

Symptoms. — Sudden attack, trembling, staggering, falling 
finally, frothing at the mouth ; may moan or cry. The spasms are 
of the whole body. Breathing irregular. Attacks last but a few 
minutes ; when animal recovers seems puzzled as to what has hap- 
pened to it. The cat is sometimes greatly exhausted and frequently 
has fits in rapid succession. After the attack in the dog it gener- 
ally appears all right again. 

Avoid exciting causes in epileptic animals, as fright or over- 
exertion. The predispos ng causes are heredity, irregular exer- 
cise, overfeeding, acute febrile diseases, especially distemper, fol- 
lowing which it is common. In rare cases the result of injuries to 
the head. 

Treatment.— Avoid exciting causes. During the attack pi'Otect 
from those who would kill the animal as rabid. Ordinary smell- 
ing salts or dilute ammonia fumes applied to the nostrils carefully. 
In puppies and kittens troubled with worms treat as directed for 
worms. Give exercise, feed the fat animal more sparingly. If 
debilitated from distemper or other disease give good food and 
clean surroundings, with ample chance for exercise. 

Chorea, or St. Vitus' Dance. — Involuntary twitching 
movements of more or less of the muscles, the twitching gener- 
ally with a regular rhythm, may be constant or intermittent and 
may go on while the animal sleeps. One hind leg the most com- 
monly attected. Often incurable in animals over two years old. 
Commonly met with as a sequel of distemper. Maybe so slight 
as to be scarcely noticeable, or so bad as to prevent animal from 
walking. 

Treatment. — Regular exercise in open air if possible, moderate 
but nutritious diet. For animals size of fox terriers give 2 drops 
Fowler's solution twice daily for 5 days, then increase each dose i 
drop each day until 12 drops are given at each dose ; continue at 
this amount for i week, then decrease the dose i drop each day. 
Any swelling or undue redness of the eyelids indicates the remedy 
be discontinued until the eyes appear normal. 

Rabies, Hydrophobia, Mad Dog. — I do not say 
that there is not such a thing, but I do sa\' that it is far 
less common than generally supposed and that hundreds 
of cases of mad dog are simply the manifestations of 



78 BKKJLE PET BOOK. 

some other disease. So great is the dread of hydro- 
phobia that even slight derangements of the nervous 
system are mistaken for rabies and the dog is shot be- 
fore it can be determined what really is the matter. 

I do not feel justified in saying that hydrophobia 
does not exist, but I have never seen a so-called case 
that could not be explained on some other view than 
that of the introduction of a specific morbid virus. 
Although I have taken special pains to find a clear 
case of hydrophobia in the human subject, I have not 
yet succeeded. 

Hydrophobia in the human subject appears to be, 
in most cases, a disease of the imagination. There are 
doubtless cases of blood-poisoning and lockjaw, such 
as may follow any wound in the flesh, caused by the 
bite of a dog, but not one of these cases out of a 
hundred is real hydrophobia. And when you hear of 
a mad dog having passed through the neighborhood, 
followed by a company of excited men with clubs, guns 
and pitchforks, of his having been killed after biting 
all the dogs he meets, of the bitten dogs having been 
sacrificed in consequence, just conclude that here was 
a poor dog that had lost his master and was running 
to find him, running until famished and tired out, irri- 
tated and angry at the cruelty shown him along the 
road, and probably not a case of rabies at all. And 
whatever you do, avoid joining in the mad and cruel 
chase of the poor, thirsty, hunted, unhappy dog. 

In case one is bitten by a dog or a cat, whether 
supposed to be mad or not, the best thing you can do 
is to taka a few vapor baths, as hot as you can 
bear them. The perspiration will eliminate any poison 



DISEASES OF DOGS AND CATS. 79 

that the bite may have introduced into your system- 
Then endeavor to forget all about it. If you follow 
this simple advice, the chances are incalculably great 
that you will be perfectly safe. 

Rabies is a disease of the nervous system and is 
communicated through the saliva of the diseased 
animal which contains the virus or poison. 1 1 is far 
more common in Europe than in this country. The 
symptoms vary in different cases. First symptoms 
occur in from a few days to two months or even 
longer, but about six days is the most common period 
of incubation, as it is termed. In the dog two well- 
marked forms of rabies are recognized ; namely, the 
violent and the dumb form. The animal first becomes 
depressed, maybe morose, does not remain long in 
one place and wanders about or may hide in secluded 
places. Frequently the appetite becomes depraved 
at the start and the animal eats foreign bodies like 
straw and litter, coal and stones, while good food 
is refused. The period of depression lasts from a 
few hours to two days ; then comes the stage of 
excitement; voice is noticeably altered, the voice is 
husky, the bark becomes a howl which is character- 
istic and peculiar to this disease. The animal is now 
liable to bite anything with which it comes in contact, 
yet may seem conscious in certain ways and may recog- 
nize a familiar voice at times. All sense of pain appears 
gone ; will bite the red-hot end of a poker as readily as 
a stick of wood. Periods of excitement alternate with 
periods of depression. During the wild period the 
animal may wander great distances ; after three to five 
days exhaustion becomes so pronounced the animal 
feels unable to rise. 



8o HIGGLE PET BOOK. 

The popular idea of the frothy mouth in cases of 
rabies is in error. The saliva is not very profuse as 
in epilepsy, but is more sticky and may hang from the 
mouth in strings. There is no fear of water ; the 
animal will often try to drink, but is generally unable 
to lap the water or to swallow it on account of the 
paralysis of the tongue and throat. 

In the dumb form of rabies the paralysis is de- 
cidedly marked. The lower jaw hangs down as if 
broken ; the animal has a peculiar, haggard appear- 
ance from paralysis of facial muscles. In the dumb 
form death comes sooner than in the violent form. 

Precautions. — Do not be too ready to handle 
dogs with any of above symptoms until sure of some 
explanation of the cause producing them. 

Secure suspicious animals in tight enclosure. Do 
not kill until sufficient time has elapsed to make intelli- 
gent conclusion. Ten chances to one he was not mad, 
and by confining him in some tight place where he 
will be quiet and free from all excitements he will re- 
cover and thus relieve the mind of the one bitten. 
After he is shot it will be too late to determine what 
was the matter. 

Distemper. — A contagious and infectious disease of the dog 
and cat, usually attacking young animals and attended generally 
with more or less decided and serious complications of the internal 
organs and nervous system ; also with complications of the organs 
of special sense, as of the eyes and ears. It maybe communicated 
from cats to dogs, and vice versa. Once contracted the disease 
is sure to run its course and cannot be stopped by dosing with 
medicines. 

Symptoms. — First is noticed a period of depression, appetite 
impaired, symptoms of catarrh, discharge from nose, sneezing or 
cough, loss of flesh marked and rapid, temperature elevated, 103° 



DISEASES OF DOGS AND CATS. 



8r 



to io6° F., eyes discharge, weakness pronounced, bowels apt to be 
either loose or constipated. In addition there may be present any 
of the symptoms already mentioned under diseases of the breath- 
ing or digestive organs, as well as the nervous complications noted 
under diseases of the nervous system. 

Treatment.— Ks may be seen, the medical treatment is apt to 
be very complicated. If the animal is a valuable one it is advised 
that regular veterinary advice be secured in the treatment of the 
disease. Good care and imrsing are about all the average person 
can do. Try to tempt the animal's appetite with nutritious and 
easily digested food, such as beef tea or mutton broth thickened 
with rice. The dog will frequently eat scraped raw beef thickened 
with gelatin when everything else is refused. If he will not eat, 
food must be forced down his throat three times a day, at least. 
Beef tea with raw ^^^ mixed with it is good for this purpose. 
Place it in a quiet, warm, dry place. Many animals properly 
cared for make good recoveries without any of the attendant after- 
effects so much to be dreaded. 

Wounds are of common occurrence, but as a rule heal 
readily if not too extensive. The principles underlying the suc- 
cessful treatment of wounds of all kinds are as 
follows : 

Removal of foreign material from the 
wound ; thorough cleansing of the wound 
with water ; disinfection of the wound. Clos- 
ing of the wound if necessary or advisable ; 
bandaging in certain cases only. Applica- 
tions of agents calculated to assist in healing. 

In cleansing wounds a syringe is often 
required. In shallow wounds it may not be required, 
bodies may require special instruments for their removal ; bullets 
and shot may at times be left in the animal without danger, when 
the removal might be dangerous. Such cases should have care of 
the surgeon. 

Wounds may be disinfected by application of peroxide of hy- 
drogen solution, full strength, or by creoiin or lysol solution, 3 
per cent, strength. Sewing or closing the wound with thread and 
needle had better be left to the e.xperienced surgeon. Bandaging 
of at least a temporary kind can be devised by any skillful per- 
son. 




Foreign 



82 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

Applications to wounds are many. Avoid any kind of grease, 
as it readily collects dirt and is objectionable on that account. 
Peroxide of hydrogen is suitable at almost all times and situa- 
tions and is not poisonous. Powdered boric acid is an excellent 
application to sores which have started to heal. It can be ap- 
plied to deep sores if dissolved in clean water and syringe used. 

Broken Bones heal with surprising rapidity in both dog and 
cat, even when badly crushed, if the wound be properly treated 
and the bone placed in its proper position before the bandage and 
splints are applied. Of course, it is always best to entrust this 
kind of work to an experienced person. 

To kill a dog or cat humanely, chloroform is the best method. 
At best it is an unpleasant job to kill a pet, and particularly so if 
he has been a companion for years, but often it is a kindness to 
put an old animal or a suffering one out of the way. Don't try 
poison. If the dog gets too much it will make him sick and 
vomit, and in any event, to witness the pain and agony is dis- 
tressing. 

To kill a dog place a piece of raw cotton in a towel. Lay the 
dog on his side with some one to hold him. Pour an ounce of 
chloroform on the cotton and put it to the dog's nose, with the 
towel wrapped around his head to keep the air away. You will 
have to hold him steady, or in his struggles he may get his nose 
away from the cotton. 

To kill a cat, place it in a tight box with one ounce of good 
chloroform which has been poured on a soft rag. Let it remain 
five minutes or until it is perfectly quiet, then take it out and 
place head downward in a bucket of water until absolutely sure 
it is dead. It will be necessary to put weights on the box or the 
cat will get away. 

To kill a wild cat that you cannot catch, get some skilled 
marksman to shoot it with a shotgun. Don't try killing it with 
single ball. 

To kill young kittens, take them before their eyes are open 
and put them in a bucket half full of lukewarm water. Put an- 
other bucket of water as far as it will go down in the first. Never 
drown kittens in the presence of their mother and always leave 
her at least one. 



Chapter XII. 



PONIES, GOATS, SHEEP, ETC. 



There has been a great deal of talk of the difficulty 
in keeping- boys on the farm. One of the best ways 
to do it is to give them some stock of their own to raise 
and reap the profit from. I know of several boys who 
have trained young steers, starting with them when 
calves and developing them on to steady and sturdy 




FAST FRIRNDS. 



oxen. It takes a manly boy to train a yoke of oxen, 
and he may well be pleased with his success. 

A lamb makes a pleasant pet when it is little, but 
as it gets older it is apt to prove a nuisance. The 
temptation to tease a lamb is great, and ram lambs 
particularly are apt to develop butting traits which 
compel their owner to banish them back to the flock 




84 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

or Otherwise dispose of them. If gently trained a 
sheep will do the work of a goat in pulling a cart 
around, and he will be equally 
useful in running a little power 
to churn or wash with. Iiottle- 
fed lambs become very tame and 
will follow their foster-parents 
around with tlie patience of a 
dog. 

While a pig is not usually considered a desirable 
companion, I know of nothing more pleasing than a 
round, sly little grunter. The pig is not naturally a 
dirty animal, and if given half a chance he will keep 
himself as clean as a dog. Nor are pigs as stupid as 
they are generally considered. They have capabilities 
in the educational line, as is shown by the educated 
trick pigs, once more common than at present. The 
great disadvantage of making pets of sheep and pigs 
is the fact that the butcher's knife is usually their 
destined end, and it makes one feel like a cannibal to 
have an animal you are attached to slaughtered and 
eaten. 

Goats make tirst-rate companions for little people, 
provided they are not cross and unruly. They must 
be taken and trained as kids, and must never be 
teased. A cross goat can seriously hurt children 
and even larger folks. Kids are not very expensive 
and can usually be found in plenty in the suburbs 
of all our large cities. Almost any handy boy can 
rig up a suitable wagon, and there are plenty of old 
straps and buckles around the stable to make a har- 
ness. A boy who can manage a goat, however, soon 
aspires to a pony. 



PONIES, GOATS, SHKKP, ETC. 



^5 




OUT FOR A RIDE. 



Shetland, Iceland and other ponies are now raised 
in this country in increasing numbers. They bring 
nearly as much as the average horse, and in some 
cases more; and while they are small it should be 
remembered they have strength and speed, and their 
management and care should not be committed to 
young or inexperienced children. 
For young children a donkey or 
burro is often more suited ; he is 
not apt to run away or do anything 
violent, and is patient and kind 
under treatment that would send a spirited pony fly- 
ing. He usually has a will of his own, however, and 
when he thinks he has gone far enough he is apt to 
turn around for home. 

Where ponies are not available, let the boy, if he 
is old enough, have a colt for his own. Let him under- 




t"^- 



86 



HIGGLE PET BOOK. 



take its care, and if possible its training- — notice I do 
not say "breaking"' — and it will be one of the strong- 
est ties to bind him to 
the farm. Give the girl 
a heifer calf and let her 
have its increase, care for 
it, milk it, set and skim 
, the milk, make the butter 
"^' ^ '*' ' ^ and have every penny 
she makes in this way 
for her own. She will be a stronger, healthier young 
woman, with a warm spot in her heart for the farm 
and all that it contains. 




ONK OF HIS I'AVOKITES. 




THRi-.i; i',i,ArTi>-:s. 



Chapter XIII. 



RABBITS. 



The important points for success with rabbits are cleanliness, 
dryness, plenty of fresh air without draughts, as even a tempera- 
ture as can be given, and careful feeding at regular times. — Tim. 

^^^^^ Rabbits stand first in the affection 

mKBK^L of many young people. Their gentle- 
I^^M^^HJS ness, harmlessness and the cheapness 
^^^^^^^^ of their food-supply make them particu- 
larly suital:)le for children, especially in towns and 
villages. While domesticated, rabbits will show the 
instincts of their wild brothers if the chance is offered 
and they are allowed freedom at large ; yet they stand 
hutch and yard life, constant confinement, and a life 
where they never touch the ground, and thrive and 
multiply as well as in their natural 
haunts. 

Every boy or girl, man or 
woman, farmer or mechanic, can 
turn a good many profitable dollars 
over yearly by keeping a few rab- 
bits, either for market, pets, or 
exhibition. 

Rabbits are remarkably prolific. 
They breed when from four to six months old, producing 
six to ten litters a year, and from five to twelve little ones 
in a litter. It is well to destroy all over six. The breeder 




88 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

who is after tine, healthy stock does not breed his does 
until they are eight months old and limits them to four 
litters a year, preferably two in the spring and two in 
the fall. Fresh-cut hay or straw should be given the 
doe for her nest a week or two before she needs it. 
She will line the nest with fur from her body. The 
young are born helpless and blind and are naked. In 
about a week their eyes will open ; in five to seven 
weeks they will leave the mother and shift for them- 
selves. Clean out the nest after the young ones have 
left it. When three months old the sexes should be 
separated. 

The proper way to lift a rabbit is to take it by the 
ears with one hand and support its body with the other 
hand under it. Or, in the case of the 
heavy breeds, and particularly with 
young rabbits, grasp a full handful 
of the skin right over the shoulders 
and liold it out from the body. A 
^-T ■ (^^^f^,.^-^ rabbit's sole means of defense is to 
Lop-F.ARED. kick with its hind legs, and a kick 

from a big, vigorous buck is not to be despised. They 
can usually whip a cat and give a small dog all lie 
cares for. 

Rabbits will thrive on anything a sheep will eat, 
but they like a variety. Keep nice clover or timothy 
hay and oats before them all the time. Every morning 
or noon give them a drink of clean, cool water. It is 
cruel to deprive them of this, as some breeders do, 
while if they do not get it a great many quench their 
thirst by drinking their urine. Fresh clover, dock, 
plantain, grass, dandelion leaves, are amongst the 




RABBITS. 



89 



most common grasses in summer months, but avoid 
feeding it with dew or ram on as you would poison ; 
always cut and allow it to dry out for an hour or so 
until all trace of dampness has disappeared. Turnips 
and carrots in winter, together with dry hay, oats, 
steamed clover dried out with bran, apples, etc., make 
a good ration. Cabbage and turnip-tops make foul- 
smelling hutches and the leaves harbor insects. Carrots 
seem to be most liked. A mash of one-third linseed 
meal, with one-third wheat bran and the other corn- 
meal, well mixed and salted, makes a good conditioner 
and the rabbits eat it greedily. Mix it well with boiln'g 
water until it is a crumbly mass, not sloppy, then form 
into balls the size of a walnut 
and give each rabbit one. 

Never feed any mori- 
green stuff or perishable food 
than will be eaten up clean. 
A piece of rock salt should 
be kept in the pen constantly, 
I have heard that a nursmg 
doe relishes and is less liable 
to eat her newly-born young if a piece of fat salt pork 
is given her, say two inches square. 

Where young or old contemplate starting with 
rabbits, I would recommend purchasing a pair of the 
best to be had at a moderate price of the breed they 
have selected. When the business on this small scale 
has been mastered, it will be time to take up other 
varieties and to widen the field. 

There are a dozen or more varieties of rabbits 
bred as pets. Some of them are eaten, but for my- 




A FAMOUS CALIFORNIA 
BELGIAN HARE DOE. 




90 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

self, I would as soon think of eating Harriet's cat, 
Solomon, as eating some pink-eyed, white-furred bunny. 
Of late years Belgian and Flemish hares have been 
introduced as edible varieties, and there is said to be 
considerable profit in raising them for market. Those 
interested should get some of the many books written 
on the subject and study up. 

The Belgian hare is a long, lithesome animal, 
with a long, narrow head, and ears about five inches 
long, set close together. The fore legs are about eight 
inches long ; the hind legs large and powerful. Their 
eyes are hazel in color and prominent. 
The color is a brownish-red or golden 
tan, with white on the belly and under 
BELGIAN HARE ^^^^ ^'^^^- ^^^^ ^^gs sliouM be free from 
BUCK. white — in fact, the less white there 

is the better. The feet should be a deep red. At 
four months of age the Belgian molts his first hair and 
gets a permanent coat, which is apt to grow in darker 
as he gets older. As I write this there is a great craze 
over the Belgian hare. Large numbers have been im- 
ported at fancy prices, and numbers of people have 
gone into the business of raising hares for market. 
While I have had no experience in the matter, I fear 
that the supposed demand for rabbit meat has been 
largely overestimated. The Belgian hare will weigh 
from ten to fourteen pounds. At five months they 
should weigh about five pounds, and this is the right 
age for dressing for market purposes. 

The Flemish Giant is a native of Flanders and 
is extensively bred there as a meat product. It has 
a large, chubby head, strong jaws, and a big mouth. 



RABBITS. 



91 




YOUNG FLEMISH GIANTS. 



The ears are from six to seven inches long and erect; 

the eyes are dark brown ; 

the fur is dark steel gray 

with dark ticking on the 

end of each hair. They 

will weigh from twelve 

to fifteen pounds, having 

large shoulders and massive hind quarters with a wide 

and deep body. They are fair breeders and are quite 

prolific and hardy. 

The Lop-Eared rabbit is a big fellow, often 
weighing eighteen pounds, with long lop ears, often a 
foot or more in length. For many years thev were the 
most popular fancy breed. By years of close breeding 
and confinement they have become what might be 
termed a hot-house variety. They sometimes weigh 
as much as sixteen pounds and specimens of eighteen 
pounds have been recorded. (See illustration, page SS.) 
They come in black, white, gray, fawn, and yellow, 
and combination of these colors with white. They 
need a mild temperature in winter and require close 
attention for successful breeding. 

The Himalayan* rabbit is one of the most 
beautifully marked ; his fur 
has been called " mock er- 
mine." He has soft, short, 
white fur, with the ears, nose, 
feet and tail a dark brownish- 
black, and pink eyes. Where 
HIMALAYAN RABBITS. Qnly ouc brccd is kept and 
another is wished for, I recommend the Himalayan. 
They are hardy and weigh from five to seven pounds. 




92 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

The Angora rabbit has long, lieecy wool. The 
white ones are most popular, but there are other colors. 
They weigh five to six pounds. Care should be taken 
to keep them dry and clean and their wool free from 
knots and dirt. This will be found to be a difficult 
matter and makes this variety undesirable on this ac- 
count. 

The Dutch rabbit is one of the smaller varieties 

and weighs five or six pounds. It is usually prolific. 

J9 They are colored as to 

" ^^L ^ the lop-eared, but have 

•^r ^^[^Hi^<^L. .^ a distinctive collar of 

white around the neck 
and a white blaze on 
the nose. The ears are 
Dunii KAi;i;iTs. short and stand erect. 

They make the best mothers and are often used as 
foster-mothers for other less hardy varieties. In the 
illustration the white band around the shoalders is 
rather wider than is now popular with this variety. 
As fashion has it now, this should cover only the neck 
and toes. 

The White English or Polish rabbit is all 
white, with pink eyes. They are always popular, par- 
ticularly at Easter-time, when large numbers are sold 
in the city pet-stores. They are poor breeders and in- 
attentive mothers and only suited as carefully tended 
pets. 

There are several other varieties sometimes to be 
seen in this country, but they are so rarely seen that 
no description need be given them. 




Chapter XIV 



RABBIT HUTCHES AND RABBIT DISEASES. 




Many sudden dtuitlts and ailments can be traced directly to 
dirty hutches a7idfeedallo7i>ed to be trampled on, then eaten. — Tim. 

No matter if the stock is reared 
in outdoor or indoor hutches, or pens 
on the ground, provide dry quarters 
and build in a spot where the sun will 
not overheat, or build a double roof 
on your hutches with a six- or eight- 
inch air space (open at ends) to allow 
a free circulation of air between the roofing, which in- 
sures the lower roof from becoming too warm. Wet 
hutches, or ones allowed to let in the storms, will cause 
disease sooner or later, so that it is very essential to pro- 
vide a curtain, perforated board, or some such cover for 
outside hutches, to guard against the 
elements. The accompanying illus- 
tration of hutches will give the be- 
ginner some idea of a cheap start. 
Fig. r shows a single hutch for a doe. 
.-:/ is the sliding partition. j5 is door Fig. i. 

to nesting-box. Try to give all the rioor-space pos- 
sible to your pets — six feet long, two feet wide, and 
eighteen inches or two feet high (never less than eigh- 
teen inches) gives ample room ; but then, in securing 
packing-cases and such, one cannot always get the de- 
sired shape or size. Three feet square, or three feet 




94 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 




by four or five, is not unusual for dry-goods cases, and 
they answer the purpose until such a time when one 
feels confident enough and can af- 
ford more elaborate quarters, such 
as a regular rabbitry, or stacks of 
six or eight hutches. Fig. 2 shows 
a stack of four hutches. Two have 
wire netting and two wire bars. 
The netting is to be preferred. 

See that all floors are tight, and where one hutch 
is set on another, put in a one- or two-inch block of 
wood to allow the air to pass between the roof of bot- 
tom and floor of top. The doors can be hinged or 
buttoned in place, while stout wire bars can be stuck 
in the door-frames one inch apart, or one-inch mesh 
chicken wire used ; the latter is cheaper, more easily 
put in place, and is rat-proof. Where danger of dogs 
exists, a stouter and heavier quality can be used to 
resist their attacks. Never use two-inch or larger 
mesh. Rats will play havoc with the young, and the 
young themselves can crawl through it. 

Have all water and feed tins secured in such a way 
that the rabbits cannot throw them around, and so 
they can be lifted out and cleaned. 

In the use of outside hutches, such as the '' Mo- 
rant," shown in Fig. 3, care must be,_^^ 
exercised that the roof is securely fas- '' 
tened against wind and dogs. These fu;. ,v 

hutches have wire netting for the bottoms, and in that 
way are moved every day so as to give the flock fresh 
grass. They are six feet long, two feet wide, one foot 
ten inches high at the front and thirteen inches at the 




RABHIT HUTCHES AXD RABBIT DISEASES. 95 

back. They can be made with a center partition or 
not, as desired. With it two rabbits can be housed, or 
a doe and her young, the partition being withdrawn 
until the young are old enough to wean, and then re- 
placed so as to separate them, and give the mother a 
rest. Large rabbit hutches for raising rabbits on a 
commercial scale are described in the works relating 
to Belgian hare culture. 

In the opening from the doe's hutch to her nesting 
compartment, never make a round hole for her to en- 
ter, but make an opening from the top of hutch to 
within four inches of the bottom, say eight inches wide ; 
that insures the doe freedom from knocking her ears, 
as she would in passing through a round hole, and also 
insures all foul air being carried away. Nesting boxes 
can either be made by having a sliding partition, or 
else by a box which can be removed when the young 
commence to run around outside of their bed, and 
gives them more run in their gambols. 

Any one intending to go into rabbit culture in a 
commercial way will, of course, study up the now very 
considerable literature on the subject, particularly that 
relating to the Belgian hare. Most of the books give 
instructions and plans 
of rabbitries. 

Always avoid 
handling the young 
before they are old 

enough to stand it. _ - 

A rabbit's loins are wild rabbits. 

very tender, and any unusual pressure is apt to cause 

internal trouble. See that no nails are exposed in the 




96 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

hutches or sharp corners for the rabbits to hurt them- 
selves on. 

Wood shavings, such as are purchased and sold 
for bedding horses and cattle, make a much better 
bedding for rabbits than straw and hay. Sawdust 
is also a good absorbent ; next to that I should prefer 
sand or dry road dust. All hutches should be thor- 
oughly cleaned at least once a week, twice is better. 

Only one doe and her young should be kept in 
one pen. The buck is quarrelsome and may kill even 
his own young, wliile the doe will also kill the young 
of another. 

The life of a rabbit is from six to ten years. If 
they are kept in well-ventilated, warm and dry hutches 
and have a good run, so that they can have plenty of 
exercise, and are supplied with the proper food they 
are little liable to disease. 

The common ailment is snuffles, resulting from 
draughts, dampness or from poor food and a general 
running down of the system. The symptoms are 
sneezing, with a discharge of white matter from the 
nose. It can be cured if taken in time, but if allowed to 
run will affect the lungs and internal organs, then it is 
hard to battle against, and generally ends in death. 

Syringe the nostrils with boracic acid one part to 
four of water, twice a day, and after doing so rub a 
little Sanitas oil on the nostrils and legs so that the 
subject inhales the odor. Care sliould be taken 
against draughts and filth, and no green food to be 
fed unless a little carrot. Sweet spirits of niter, eight 
drops to a teaspoon ful of water once a day, will assist 
vastly. 



RABBIT HUTCHES AND RABBIT DISEASES. 97 

In Canker Ear, scurf forms inside tlie ear and 
makes the rabbit scratch the affected part and become 
ill if not attended to. A simple remedy is Goulard's 
extract, olive oil and turpentine, equal parts. Remove 
all scurf possible from inside of ear with a blunt 
smooth stick so as not to cause too much pain, then 
put in a teaspoonful of the above remedy after shak- 
ing the bottle well. Hold the ears until the oil pene- 
trates to the root, then release the rabbit, who will 
immediately shake most of it out. Repeat once a day 
for a few days and a cure is certain. 

Slobbers, another nasty complaint, is often seen 
in young and sometimes in old ones. Its symptoms 
are a running at the sides of the mouth of a watery 
fluid. Give twice daily a teaspoonful of milk or 
water, into which put 5 drops or 10 (according to age 
of rabbit) of equal parts of juniper and sweet spirits of 
niter — all well mixed together. Salt water is excellent 
for it, also swabbing the mouth with borax water. 

When cold settles in eyes, wash twice daily with 
water 2 ounces, sulphate of zinc 4 grains, or water 2 
ounces, boracic acid 4 grains. 

Diarrhcea or Looseness. — A rabbit's excrement 
should always be round, hard, dry pellets ; any sign of 
softness should receive prompt attention. When 
diarrhoea appears place the rabbit in a dry, warm hutch, 
with plenty of fresh air without draughts. Feed on 
dry food, such as crushed oats, dry bran, or mix a 
little oatmeal and peameal into a stiff paste. Exclude 
all green foods until the looseness disappears. Arrow- 
root mixed in cold water, then fed in such a quantity 
that the rabbit will take from a spoon, is a splendid 



gH BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

remedy and assists to sustain the afflicted one if it 
wats or not. 

Scours. — This complaint is the most deadly of 
all ; it is not so often seen as a common looseness of 
the bowels, but is the worst form of that complaint. 
If the rabbits are not taken in hand at once, scours will 
kill them in a few hours. Treat the same as for diar- 
rhoea. Give fresh, cool water and sweet hay. The 
arrowroot treatment is excellent and checks where 
other remedies fail. 

Constipation is not generally difficult to cure, 
as it is caused bv an excess of food. The rabbit is 
seen to mope in the corner of the 
hutch, and refuse to eat, yet it 
seems often very thirsty. Feed 
^' green food, being careful not to 

BKI.GIAN HARE BUCK. ^^^^^^^ ^J^^ ^^J^^j. cxtrCmC. 

Colic — The animal is restless and seems in pain, 
while the body is more or less distended with wind. If 
this is ca.used by too much green food, cut off the supply 
at once, but when from lack of such and water, then 
feed sparingly. An English remedy is salt and water 
given in the drink. It is seldom colic appears unless 
from constipation. 

Fits. — This is sometimes seen in both young 
and old stock. The head is drawn to one side, and 
the whites of eyes show a great deal, while the animal 
has difficulty in walking straight, and will often go 
round and round, finally falling down exhausted. 
Keep the rabbit warm and give the following pills : 

Suljjliate of iron i gr. 

Extract t)f gentian 2 gv. 

To make one pill. 




RABBIT HUTCHES AND RABBIT DISEASES. 99 

Give these pill tonics twice daily and feed nourish- 
ingly. If it does not cure in a day or two, or no signs 
for the better have appeared, it is better to kill the 
rabbit, unless of -value, when a stronger remedy may 
be tried : Give 4 grains of powdered camphor in 2 
teaspoonfuls of tepid water every other day, if it is 
necessary to give for that length of time owing to no 
improvement showing. Should a change for the better 
start about the fourth day, then give camphor every 
third day until cured. 

Sore Hock is generally caused by tilthy hutches, 
dampness, and sticks or slivers in their litter. Their 
continual stamping prevents the wounds from healing, 
while the damp filth will prove a continuous irritant. 

Clean the hutch thoroughly, then whitewash, pro- 
vide a good bed of hay or oat straw, wash the affected 
parts in warm water, dry thoroughly, apply carbolized 
vaseline ; in an aggravated case put on a bandage, 
being sure to sew it on, not leaving any ends for the 
animal to nibble on. 

When a rabbit seems inclined to sit quietly with- 
out paying attention to its food, try some stimulant to 
coax it. Tea leaves with the tea squeezed out, then 
mixed in the oats, are very good ; onions make a line 
tonic — a small one may be fed, or the greens from 
young onions. Flowers of sulphur, given in a pinch 
in the damped oats, often does a lot of good. A slice 
of toast sopped in lukewarm milk, just enough to 
make the toast wet, will coax the appetite. Common 
sweet spirits of niter, 8 drops to a teaspoonf ul of water 
once a day, acts well on the water and assists when a 
general running down is the cause of any ailment. 



lOO BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



POINTERS. 



Feed at regular hours, twice every day. 

Don't feed your rabbits one day and starve them the next. 

Pick out rank weeds and dry thistles irom the hay when 
feeding. 

Keep your stock cool in summer and warm in winter without 
artificial heat. 

Feed a few tea leaves in the oats every few days ; rabbus like 
them as a tonic. 

Don't feed any succulent food of a doubtful nature, unless j'ou 
know it is not poison. 

Don't allow dogs or cats around the hutches. Be on the look- 
out for disease and rabbits off their feed. 

See that all hutches are rat-proof. One-inch wire mesh will 
turn all enemies and keep the little ones in. 

A good stock of carrots during the cold months is a great 
saving, and one of the best succulent foods. 

Don't shout or make too much noise around the rabbits ; the 
mothers may kill their young. Rabbits like quiet. 

Give some boiled linseed meal with bran once a week ; it im- 
proves the rabbit's condition and makes their coats glossy. 

Talk to and pet the rabbits; they like those little attentions 
and will grow to watch for you and know their feeding hours. 

When any illness appears, take the rabbit at once and separate 
from the others, to a good warm hutch with plenty of fresh air. 




ENGLISH RABBIT WITH MIXKD FAMILY 



Chapter XV. 
GUINEA-PIGS 




Don't pick a guinea-pig up by the tail or its eyes will drop 
out. — Tim. 

Guinea-pigs are harmless, stupid, 
restless little animals with very few 
of the attractions of other pets. 
They show no affection for anybody, 
and will see their young torn to pieces before 
their eyes without showing any concern. Their ad- 
vantages as pets are their ability to keep themselves 
clean, the fact that they are good at shifting for them- 
selves, and that they are gentle and harmless for 
children to handle. 

The guinea-pig is about half the size of the rab- 
bit, with no neck to speak of and a head somewhat 
like a rat's ; their legs are short, and they have no tail. 
Because they are called pigs they have the unpleas- 
ant names given those animals, 
the male being called a boar 
and the females sows. 

There is an old superstition English guinea-pigs. 
that rats will not come where guinea-pigs are kept, 
and for this reason many pigeon and rabbit raisers 
keep one or two running around their lofts. 1 believe 
this is an error and that even this cannot be counted 
as one of their virtues. Rabbits and guinea-pigs get 
along amicably in the same hutch. 

Guinea-pigs require about the same accommoda- 
tions as rabbits, although their hutches can be smaller. 




I02 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



They will eat all the feeds rabbits are fond of, and as 
they have unlimited appetites they will eat away as 
long as there is anything in sight. The young ones 
will begin at once to eat the same food as the old 
ones. Guinea-pigs are particularly fond of oats and 
bran. 

At present there are three varieties necessary to 
describe. The Common or English guinea-pig has a 
smooth coat and the color is black, white, bright red- 
dish brow n, 
yellow and 
combination 
of these colors. 
When pigs are 
marked in this 
way they are 
called " bro- 
ken " color. 

The Abyssinian cavy is pure white and also broken 
colors, with pink eyes and with longer hair standing 
up in irregular ridges. 

The Peruvian cavy is the Angora among guinea- 
pigs, his coat being extra long and silky, making this 
variety appear larger, although really not heavier than 
the others. The Peruvian cavy comes in some colors 
not to be found in other varieties, notably a plum color 
and also a straw color. They are also found in light 
tan and white and broken colors ; black is very rare. 
This variety does not seem so greedy as the others. 
As in the case of all other long-haired pets, the Peru- 
vian cavy needs constant care to keep its coat free 
from dirt and tangles. 




HIS FAVORITKS. 



Chapter XVI. 
SQUIRRELS. RATS AND MICE. 



« Don't try taming an old squirrel ; he is 

apt to be cross and never seems quite happy, 
whereas a young one taken from the nest 
or captured shortly after, makes an inter- 
-esting and often affectionate pet. The 
most common of the tribe seen in captivity is the gray 
squirrel. Ke is a lively fellow, with bright, mischievous 
eyes and a happy disposition. The red squirrel is 
smaller, while the little ground squirrel, — "ground 
hackee " we called him when I was a boy, or chip- 
munk,— though not often seen in captivity, is as pretty 
and spry as any of them. The black squirrel is rare. 
In the Southern States the flying squirrel is quite com- 
mon ; he sleeps in the daytime and exercises at night. 
Do not try to play with him during the day. 

The squirrel is so easily tamed that it seems a 
shame to keep him in confinement. If he lives in a 
tree near by, make his acquaintance by giving him corn 
or nuts, or some other delicacy, and he will soon come 
to eat from your hand. Be careful not to frighten him, 
and keep the dogs away. He will gambol over the 
fences and sit and scold if his accustomed tidbit is 
not forthcoming, and may even venture into your 
pocket for it. I have a stick ten feet or more long, 
reaching from a nearby tree to a second-story window, 



I04 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

and over this shaky bridge the little fellows come tum- 
bling for their morning treat. In their natural state 
squirrels hibernate or sleep during the winter season, 
only venturing out on very warm winter days. 

If you must keep your pet in captivity one of the 
pleasantest cages is an unused room in the barn or 
shed or woodshed. Here you can fit up a good-sized 
tree with branches and a cozy box or hollow gourd for 
a nest. Keep the outside woodwork covered with wire 
netting, or your pet will soon nibble his way out. 
The floor should be covered with dry sand, and in the 
corner a box of woods earth should be provided where 
they can bury their nuts. The 
sand should be cleaned out fre- 
quently, for although the squirrel 
is naturally a clean animal, his 
quarters, if not cared for, will 
soon get an unpleasant odor. For this reason it is 
better to have a tin cage in case you cannot have a 
room as described, and by all means have a cage with 
sleeping and eating compartments and a revolving 
wheel. Round and round the little captive will make 
it go for an hour at a time, and it will go far towards 
keeping him in good health, an amount of exercise 
being absolutely necessary for the well-being of this 
one of the most agile and active of animals. Have 
the bottom arranged with a tray so that it can be re- 
moved and easily cleaned. Provide hay, dry moss, or 
raw white cotton for a nest. 

Young squirrels should be fed stale bread and 
milk and soaked corn ; when they have reached matur- 
ity give them all kinds of nuts, acorns, corn, pumpkin 




SQUIRRELS, RATS AND MICE. I05 

seeds, sunriower seeds, a hard biscuit once in a while. 
Like other rodents, such as rats and mice, they have 
two front teeth, incisors, on each jaw ; these are flat 
and the upper and lower ones play together like two 
chisels and mutually keep each other sharp. As they 
wear away by eating- hard nuts, which are necessary 
for them, the teeth grow out so that they are always 
about the same length. If one should get broken out, 
the corresponding one in the other jaw must be pulled ; 
otherwise not having a tooth to work against it will 
grow long and soon prevent the animal from eating, 
eventually starving it to death. 

White mice are a little smaller than the common 
brown house-mouse. They are subject to few diseases, 
and many a boy has started on his petward career 
with these little pink and white fellows. In addition 
to white mice there are plum, fawn, and other shades, 
these colors mixed with white. White mice may be 
crossed with other colors of fancy mice or with the 
house-mouse. 

If the cage, which preferably should be of wire, 
is kept clean, washed at least three times a week with 
carbolic soap, and the floor kept covered with dry sand 
or sawdust, or both, and renewed frequently, and they 
are fed the proper food, it is said there will be none of 
that mousy smell which is so disagreeable to many 
people, but the great objection to mice is tlie difficulty 
in keeping their cages clean. 

Keep mice where they and their home will be dry. 
This is most important. Be careful not to feed fresh 
bread or fresh corn or wheat ; it frequently kills them. 
Give them stale biscuit or bread soaked in milk, oats 



io6 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



and cereals, canary seed, acorns and nuts and occa- 
sionally a little hemp seed. Don't feed meat, cheese 
or cake. A stale loaf of bread put in the cage will 
give them pleasure, as they will burrow all through it, 
making snug little nests and passage-ways. Let it 
remain two or three days, then put in another. Have 
earthenware pans in which to feed, and wash them out 
daily. 

Mice may be bred when they are ten weeks old. 
Have a separate nest for each mother, and the nest 
filled with white, raw cotton. In about twelve days 

she will bring forth her 
little ones, and in two 
\veeks they will be ready 
to leave her and shift for 
themselves. Put them 
in a separate cage, des- 
jAPANKsi.: RATS. troylug all or part of 

your mates, as they are not appreciated unless for trick 
mice. They breed so prolifically, you will have to dis- 
pose of your surplus stock promptly. Don't overcrowd 
your cage. 

Both mice and rats are capable of being taught 
many pleasing tricks, if the necessary time and pa- 
tience is given to their training, and they are both 
cleanly animals if they have the chance of keeping 
clean. 




Chapter X\^II. 



OTHER PETS. 



An old friend in Chester County, Pa., has a pet 
fox which is quite tame and which he has trained to 
perform a number of tricks. He is kept chained and 
has his home in a box which has no bottom but rests 
on the ground. He is fed just as a dog would be, and 
it is perhaps needless to add, he is very fond of chicken. 

When well fed and 
cared for, and espe- 
cially when young, the 
raccoon or " coon *" be- 
comes thoroughly do- 
mesticated and seems 
to lose all desire for his 
woodland home. He 
will play with the chil- 
dren, frolic with the visitors to thk tame fox. 
dogs and follow his master around everywhere. Give 
him a comfortable home in a box, keg or barrel 
placed in a sheltered corner of the woodshed. He will 
eat anything and everything from the table and will 
drink milk and coffee, too, if he can get it. A tub of 
water in which he can splash and play will afford him 
lots of pleasure. You will find he is intelligent and he 
soon learns to pull a cork from a bottle, to open a door 
and many other accomplishments. He should never 
be teased. A young friend of mine had two, both of 




Io8 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

which showed the greatest fondness for him, but hav- 
ing been teased by some dogs and boys, one of them 
flew at him one day and it was with difficulty that he 
could defend himself from its sharp teeth and claws. 
As they grow older they are apt to get savage and are 
not to be trusted. They should then be either chained 
up or kept in a cage, or, better yet, disposed of. 

The opossum is not nearly so nimble 
and interesting as the coon, but his wits 
are sharp as well as his teeth, and he is full 
of cunning. They sleep during the day 
and prowl at night, and for this reason are 
not especially attractive pets, and, too, they 
are apt to be sullen and intractable. One I 
J, (knew of never got over the habit of " play- 
,^^i? ing possum," and even when his owner 
THE PET grew tired of him and carried him out to 
COON. ^j^g woods to let him go, he "played pos- 
sum " as he was rolled out of the basket, and lay per- 
fectly still until he was sure he was quite alone, when 
he scampered away. They will eat anything, meat, 
vegetables, insects and fruits, and in the fall they get 
fat as butter. 

The best way to tie up both the coon and possum 
is to put a collar round their necks and fasten this 
with a light but strong chain to 
a ring which slides up and down 
a pole. It will afford them 
exercise and much amusement 
climbing up and clown. They the sly fox. 

should have a box or barrel either on the pole or at 
the bottom for shelter. 






OTHER PETS. IO9 

Some time ago on a visit to the island of Nan- 
tucket, off the coast of Massachusetts, I saw a whole 
field covered with little hills and undermined with the 
homes of prairie dogs that had been brought there as 
pets. The prairie dog, if taken young, is a lively 
little pet, fond of attention 
and as tame as a kitten. 
He will be happier if given 
a home under the porch 
where he can burrow out a 
nest. His diet is entirely prairik dogs. 

a vegetable one, grass, roots, seeds and nuts. He is a 
neat, clean little fellow, nice to have about the home, 
and all in all a pleasant pet ; only be careful, if you 
have a pair of them, that they do not propagate and 
overrun the dooryard or neighboring field. 

The woodchuck or groundhog is sometimes tamed 
and, though a clumsy and heavy fellow, he is not with- 
out his good points. He lives on a vegetable diet al- 
together, burrows in the ground for his home, and 
sleeps during the winter's cold. One I knew, when a 
boy, had his abode in a culvert, under the road not far 
from our front porch, to which he would come regu- 
larly to sit up and beg for peanuts. He was an inof- 
fensive fellow, and much esteemed, so that his untimely 
death by a strange, big dog was mourned by all. With 
the exception of the peanuts and now and then a 
cracker, he found his own fare. 

No pet is prettier, with his glossy black and white 
coat and bushy tail, than the common skunk or pole- 
cat. If the peculiar gland in which is secreted the 
unpleasantly odorous fluid is removed bv a veterina- 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



rian, he is almost without a fault as an interesting and 
uncommon pet. Even if this gland should remain, and 
he is not worried or teased, there is but little chance of 
his making himself unpleasant ; get a kitten, however, 
don't try taming an old one. 

I have heard of one riding round in his owner's 
pocket, following him like a dog, and having great 
sport catching grasshoppers when they went to walk. 
He eats all kinds of insects, grubs and ground moles, 
and he will keep the house clear of mice, and, by the 
way, look out for the chickens, big and little. 

Ferrets are hardly considered safe pets for young 
folks. If not carefully handled when young, they are 

cross and of uncertain temper. 
They are kept mainly by profes- 
sional ratkillers, who use them 
to drive rats out of infested 
buildmgs. The ferret's body is 
very long and slim, so that he 
can slip in and through the rat- 
holes and runways. A pair of 
TWO PRETTY PETS. fcrrcts wlll clear out a barn in 
short order, the rats scenting danger and flying in 
every direction. They will kill every rat they can 
catch. 

It is sometimes difficult to recover the ferret, as he 
will gorge himself with blood, and then, getting slug- 
gish, will seek some quiet place for a nap and rest. 
Ferrets will live in a box, with proper slats, and should 
be fed, morning and evening, on bread and milk, with 
fresh meat occasionally. 




Chapter XVIII. 



PIGEONS. 




Pigeons, as pets, are desirable for 
several reasons. There are many varieties, 
having quite distinct marks and character- 
istics, which afford a wide range for choice 
to suit different tastes. They appear to 
have greater intelligence than other birds, 
and in many respects have habits and traits that are 
very human. If their owner is of an acquisitive turn 
it is possible at any time to convert the birds into cash 
in hand. 

The old saying, " Be sure to have your cage ready 
before you catch your bird,'* applies here. The 
" a vi ar y,"" or 
"loft," is the 
first thing to 
consider when 
about to begin 
the keeping of 
pigeons. The common practice of nailing boxes for 
these birds on the outside walls of barns and other 
outbuildings is not to be commended, as it gives the 
buildings an untidy appearance and the birds have at 
best a poor home and shelter. In such quarters they 
suffer great hardships in cold and stormy weather and 
are subject to the depredations of small owls. If left 
at libertv. as thev must be in such cases, thev fall a 



fcjLI^ ^J^ 



WHITK OWLS. 



112 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



prey to hawks and pot-hunters, and will do much dam* 
age in neighboring fields and gardens. 

If an existing structure must be used, it is advis- 
able to make a loft on the inside of the outer wall of 
such building, to which access can be gained at all 
times from the interior, holes being made in the wall 
with alighting boards at the bottom for the exit and 
entrance of the birds. An apartment six feet long, six 
feet high and four feet wide will readily accommodate 



wiHMlHflB^MHiHl 



J'IGIiUN HOUSK Willi DUTSIDK CAGK DlVIlJIiD INTO 
COMPARTMENTS. 

six pairs of birds. If they have their liberty, twice the 
number can be housed in such a loft. If they are to 
be confined a part or all of the time, an outside cage 
or fly, fully as large or larger, should be constructed 
on the outside of the building. This may be made of 
light timbers, and covered with poultry netting. Need- 
less to say, it should be neatly constructed, so that it 
will not disfigure the building, and it will be well to 
have a floor in it, and a roof over half of it, and numer- 
ous perches, so that the birds can enjoy the air and 
exercise without too much exposure. If a carpenter 
were to build this loft and fly at the same time, he 




PIGEONS. H3 

would be likely to extend the floor timbers of both 
through the wall, bracing them on the inside, thus 
avoiding the need for outside braces. 

On many accounts it is better to have the loft en- 
tirely separate from poultry houses, barns or any other 
building. The house illustrated in my Poultry Book, 
which is copied here and which was designed for squab 
breeding, can be reduced in size to adapt it to the re- 
quirements of any flock however small. 

The cut represents a loft 
eight by sixteen feet, with 
an outside fly of the same 
dimensions, making the en- 
tire building sixteen feet 
square. The corner posts 
are eight feet. It is intended to accommodate from 
forty to fifty pairs. In building it, posts are set firmly 
in the ground, extending two feet above, pans inverted 
over them to keep out rats and mice, and the sills 
nailed to the posts. 

For a few pairs a small ornamental loft may be 
elevated on poles eight or ten feet above the ground, 
and a ladder used to gain access to it. 

Pigeons breed in pairs, and once mated usually re- 
main faithful to each other till death. Unmated birds 
of either sex may by their coquetry and intrigue break 
up the union and cause trouble. Care must therefore 
be taken to remove all unmated birds as soon as dis- 
covered. 

Breeding in pairs as they do, a home must be pro- 
vided for each family. To this home they become 
greatly attached, and the males will fight desperately 



114 



HIGGLE PET BOOK. 




SWALLOWS. 



to keep it free from all intruders. In the height of 
the breeding season the hen will lay a second nest of 

eggs before the young ones 
are able to fly. For this reason 
two boxes, or two apartments, 
should be provided for each 
pair. These two apartments 
must be separated so that the 
young birds cannot get from 
one to the other, since they 
will, when hungry, seek the 
parents while on the new nest and injure the eggs. A 
common method of providing nests is to build shelves 
on the side wall of the loft and divide these by partitions 
into alcoves and in these set earthen nest pans made 
expressly for pigeons and for sale at bird stores and 
by seedsmen. A cheaper way is to use small 
store boxes in place of the earthen pans. 
Fig. I shows a box containing a single nest 
so made that the birds cannot perch on it. 

Two of these would be needed for 
each pair and should be placed ad- 
jacent. The shelves may be dispensed 
with, and double nests made from store 
boxes may be hung directly on the walls 
by means of hooks or nails. 
For supplying water the common stone 
automatic fountains are satisfactory. This 
should be set on a small box or shelf and 
not on the floor. Pigeons are heavy drinkers, 
especially in the breeding season, and a bountiful 
supply of clean water should be provided at all times. 





DOUBLE PIGEON 

NEST MADE OUT 

OF SOAP BOX. 





PIGEONS. 115 

Like other birds, they take great pleasure in bathing, 
and if allowed to do so, will take a bath every day. 
This may be permitted in summer, but in winter 
it is well to restrict them to two baths a week. A 
shallow pan containing three or four inches ot water 
will serve for a bathtub. It should be placed out in 
the ily and removed as soon as the birds have used it. 

Open feed-troughs in a loft are quite as objection- 
able as open water vessels. The feed in them becomes 
foul and much of it is wasted. The 
self-feeding hopper shown in the 
accompanying illustration is one of 
the best that can be found. These 
hoppers can be made of starch or soap boxes, by any 
one handy with tools. The lid should be broad enough 
to cover completely the feed trough at the sides, 
and these troughs should be just broad enough to 
allow the birds to feed without permitting them to 
get in with their feet. 

The floor of the loft should be kept reasonably 
clean and be strewn occasionally with fresh sand and 
gravel. Red gravel is the best, as it contains iron, the 
oxide of iron giving it its peculiar color. Pigeons will 
peck at clay and coal ashes, and also at weeds and 
grasses. They use these substances, probably, for medi- 
cinal purposes, as dogs eat grass and cats eat catnip. 

The natural food of pigeons is grain and the seeds 
of grasses. They are fond of millet, clover seed and 
peas, and if allowed to fly when these crops are sown 
will prove very destructive. Hemp seed is to pigeons 
what candy is to children. A little may be given them 
on entering the loft to tame them. 




Il6 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

For a steady diet the following is commended : Two 
parts whole corn, two parts wheat and one part buck- 
wheat, all to be old, sound grain. Screenings to be 
economical should be purchased for one-fifth the price 
of good wheat. New grain is not good for the squabs. 
The corn should be a variety having small grains 
and should in no case be cracked. 

In order to supply feed for the very young squabs 
it is well to keep equal parts of bran and cornmeal 
in self-feeding hoppers always before the 
breeders. Experience has proved that 
the old ones feed with greater regularity 
and fatten their young better when the 
JACOBIN. whole grain is supplied at regular hours, 
three times a day, all they will eat up clean. They 
will not eat grain that is fouled, if they can avoid it, 
and should not be compelled to do so. 

For side dishes they should have ground oyster- 
shells in a box or barrel lid where they can help them- 
selves, and a bit of salt codfish tacked to the side of the 
loft by several nails, so they can peck at it, but not 
tear it down. Instead of the salt fish, a big lump of 
rock salt may be placed in a box on the floor of the 
loft. They are very fond of salt, and when furnished 
in this way cannot get more than is good for them. 

The female pigeon lays two eggs and then both 
birds assist in hatching them. The hen sits all night 
and until about nine o'clock in the morning ; the cock 
sits until about four o'clock in the afternoon. Both 
assist in feeding the squabs. If the hen lays again be- 
fore the first brood is out of the nest, the cock will 
usually take entire charge of the young, besides doing 



PIGEONS. 



H7 



his share of incubation. The two eggs will usually 
hatch one male and one female. 

Pigeon eggs hatch in sixteen or eighteen days. 
After the first few days the young ones grow with 
wonderful rapidity if the parents are supplied with 
proper food and do their duty. 

A well-managed liock will raise, on an average, 
five pairs of squabs annually for every pair of birds it 
contains. 

Pigeons in confinement require regular attention 
and intelligent care in order to do their best. They 






COMMON WHITE PIGEONS IN OUTSIDE PEN MADE OF 
WIRE NETTING. 

should be fed and watered at stated hours every day. 
All quick and violent motions by the attendant should 
be avoided. If a bird is lo be caught it should be 
done in such a way as not to throw the whole flock 
into a tumult. Every possible means should be taken 
to tame the birds so that they may be pets in deed as 
well as in name. 

Filth, lice and disease will always mar, to some 
extent, the pleasure of the pigeon keeper. To avoid 
the first, one perch should not be placed over another. 



Ill 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



or birds will soil each other's plumage. Sawdust or 
sand, or both, should be freely used on the loft floor. 
The young need absorbents in their nests, and for this 
purpose sawdust or short cut hay may be used. While 
it is not in accordance with the usual advice found in 
books on pigeons, I do not think it advisable to clean 
nest box each time after the young ones have deserted it. 
Sprinkle well with insect powder, cover with absorbent 
and allow the parents to raise a second or even a third 
pair in it before cleaning. Never use in nests yellow 
pine or any other kind of sawdust that is full of resin. 
It should always be from seasoned lumber. Fine 
planer shavings is even better than sawdust. 

The long pigeon louse torments the birds more or 
less at all seasons. They relieve themselves of these 

pests to a certain ex- 
tent by the water bath, 
as fowls do by the dust 
bath. They may be 
aided in this matter by 
the free use of insect 
powder (finely ground 
pyretlirum roseum 
flowers and leaves). 
It may be dusted in and on their nest boxes and 
blown in the loft through a dry powder 
gun while the birds are flying about. The 
red mites and other kinds of lice that 
infest poultry quarters sometimes get 
into the loft. These may be fought tumbi.f.r. 
successfully with hot salted lime- wash, kerosene oil 
and insect powder combined. Fine stems of tobacco, 





PIGEONS. 



119 



cut about six inches long", will help to keep lice out of 
the nest boxes. 

Pigeons are subject to many diseases common to 
the feathered tribe. The keeper succeeds best who does 
his best to avoid the cause of disease. Some of the 
fancy varieties are rather tender and must be treated 
accordingly.' In all cases draughts of air through 
cracks in the loft must be avoided, particularly when 
they strike birds on their perches at night. To avoid 
indigestion the feeding must be regular, and certain 
articles for which pigeons have a special liking, such 
as salt, hemp seed, peas, etc., should never be supplied 
in large quantities at one time, especially if they have 
been withheld for a considerable time. If they are not 
limited in quantity they will gorge themselves, with 
serious results. 

Birds sometimes lose the power of flight. This 
may be due to a blow on the wing, but is frequently 
due to a scrofulous swelling of the joints. Such birds 
should be disposed of and never allowed to breed. It 
is rarely worth while to 
give such cases medical 
treatment. 

What is called " go- 
ing-light " causes more 
loss to the keeper of fancy 
pigeons than any other 
disease. This wasting: 
away may be due in man} 
instances to old age. pouters. 

When this is not the case it is in all probability a 
tubercular affection attacking in one case the bowels, 



■RnB 


^ 



I20 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

in another the lungs or the liver. It is advisable to 
remove such birds from the loft at once, as soon as the 
nature of their complaint is discovered. 

The squabs are often affected with cankerous 
growth in the mouth and throat. If the parents are 
fed and watered as previously advised there will be 
little trouble from this complaint. Should the birds 
be valuable it may be worth while to make an effort 
to save them by removing the yellow cheesy matter 
by the use of a quill and applying burnt alum to the 
sores. 

The choice of varieties is a matter of taste. For 
the novice it is best on some accounts to begin with 
the common pigeon, or at least with a variety that is 
hardy and requires no extra manipulation or care to 
rear, and no special skill to breed. 

One of the hardiest of the family of fancy birds is 
the present race of Homers, or Antwerp Carriers. They 

are very strong flyers, and can 

be trained to find their home 

when liberated when several 

hundred miles distant from it. 

The Magpie is a popular 

variety among those who keep 

pigeons for pets. It is thought 

ANTWERP OR HOMING to be of Tumblcr origin. The 

plumage is pied, like the bird 

from which it takes its name. 

Archangels are very striking in appearance. Their 
plumage is a beautiful mixture of black, white and 
copper-bronze with a bright metallic luster. 

Nuns are beautiful birds, having trim, neat bodies 




PICJEOXS. 



121 



and handsome plumage ; the most popular marking 
being a white body with black head and black tail and 
flight feathers. 

For aristocratic carriage and make-up, no variety 
excels the Pouter. They are distinguished by their 
peculiar habit of expanding the oesophagus to enorm- 
ous proportions at their pleasure. (See illustration on 
page 119.) The English Pouter is a large bird, but 
there is a small variety called Pigmy Pouters. 

Jacobins are small fancy pigeons marked by re- 
curved feathers on the back of head and neck, forming 
a hood, and giving them a very unique appearance. 
See illustration on page 118. 

Turbits have a crest on the head and a frill on 
the breast ; Owls lack the crest, but otherwise are much 
like them. (See illus- 
tration on page iii.) 
In this class are Tur- 
biteens, Satinettes, 
and Blondinettes. 

The Tumbler is 




SHOKT-FACKD TUMBLKRS. 



an interesting variety that should not be overlooked in 
making a selection. It is named from, 
its habit of tumbling while on the 
wing. There is one kind, called In- 
side or Parlor Tumblers, that carL 
scarcely rise above the ground with- 
out performing a somersault. 

One of the lirst to attract the 
FANTAiL. attention of a youth or beginner is- 

the Fantail, the white being the most striking in ap- 
pearance. 




122 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



Runts are very large birds, resembling in shape 
and color the common barn pigeon. They are not good 
breeders, but are sometimes used to cross on common 
and Homing pigeons to increase the size when rearing 
squabs for market. 

This list includes only the most familiar, and omits 
a large number of less-known varieties. 

The usual method of training Homers is to take 
the young birds, after they are thoroughly familiar 
with their neighborhood, about a half mile from home 
and release them all at one time. This should be done 
on a clear day, in the morning, before feeding time. 
They will immediately seek their loft. The next day go 
as far in the opposite direction. Keep this up, gradually 
increasing the distance. Many birds are lost in train- 
ing, but the weakest and poorest are thus weeded out. 
In starting a loft of Homers it is necessary to be- 
gin with young birds, as old ones will immediately seek 
their old home. Homers should not be allowed to fly 

free except on an empty stomach. 

They will then seek their loft with 

a keen appetite. 

In lofts where Homers are 

trained there should be a small 

area or cage at the entrance, either 
outside or inside, so arranged that the birds can enter 
easily, but cannot escape until liberated. The usual 
method of doing this is by the use of bent wires hung 
loosely in staples driven into the top of entrance. 
The bird soon learns to push them inward as it enters, 
but a lath across the bottom prevents their swinging 
outward. The contrivance is illustrated by the cut. 




Chapter XIX. 



BANTAMS. 



Bantams are the pigmies of the poultry yard. 
Nearly all varieties of fowls recognized by poultrymen 
have their dwarf counterparts. In recent years the 
breeding of these diminutive fowls has become a popu- 
lar pastime, and, incidentally, helped to expand the 
pocketbooks of those who have offered choice stock 
for sale. 

Bantams are well suited for pets. They are small 
and appeal to the sympathies 
and affections of their owners ; 
they require only inexpensive 
houses and yards, and if left to 
run at large do little damage. The 
love of the beautiful is satisfied, 
also, in their rich and hand- 
somely marked plumage and light brahma bantams. 
graceful shapes. In the matter of profit they compare 
favorably with their larger relatives. A bantam hen 
of any given variety will lay about the same number of 
eggs as a hen of the corresponding larger breed, and 
in most cases the eggs of the bantam will be larger in 
proportion to her weight of body than those of the 
larger hen. 

Houses for bantams may be very plain and inex- 
pensive or elaborate and costly to suit their owner's 
taste and purse. Large dry-goods boxes can easily be 




124 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 




URV-COODS BOX 
BANTAM HOUSE. 



reconstructed in such a way as to accommodate a 
small flock. The illustration shows a portable house 
made in this way. The netting door 
is divided so that the top of it may 
be opened by the attendant, and feed 
and water put in the run without 
entering or letting the chicks out. 
The whole structure should be made so that it can 
easily be moved about by two persons of ordinary 
strength. 

The usual poultry house models may be cut down 
in size to adapt them to their smaller occupants. But 
in all cases where the soil of the locality is not dry and 
porous it is well to have board floors in the house and 
to elevate the floor a foot or more above the ground. 
The space underneath, if properly enclosed, may be 
used as a winter or rainy-day run for the birds. 

A neat, cheap and practical house, owned by a 
young and successful bantam breeder, is illustrated 
on this page. In dimen- 
sions it is three by six 
feet on the ground, three 
feet high in the rear and 
thirty inches in the front. 
The floor is twelve 
inches from the ground 
and the space under- 
neath is used lor a run. 
The illustration shows 
how the birds gain an 
entrance. The owner has access through doors and 
windows in the rear wall. The house is divided in the 




BANTAM HOUSE. 
I'AIR BUFF COCHIN BANTAMS. 



BANTAMS. 125 

middle and thus adapted to the use of two breeding 
pens. The nests are so located at the back that they 
can be reached with the arm without having to enter the 
house. Coops for bantam chicks should also have board 
floors covered with dry earth or short litter, as they are 
somewhat less hardy than their larger cousins, and 
dampness is one of their worst enemies. Filth is an- 
other foe to guard against. Their houses and coops 
must be kept clean if they are to be kept healthy, and 
their owner is to take pride and find pleasure in his pets. 
Lice, too, are deadly foes to these little birds, l^ut as 
they are small and easily tamed and therefore easy to 
handle, there is no excuse for permitting these pests 
of the poultry tribe to get the upper hand. 

The food that is best for bantams is the same as 
that required to keep ordinary fowls in good health 
and condition. They are omnivorous, eating almost 
anything that man or animal will eat and some others 
in addition. For their best development they should 
have bulky food like grass, cut hay, and vegetables, 
besides grain and animal food. It is a good practice 
to feed all their food in a dry state so far as possible, 
and avoid sloppy messes. Like other birds, their food 
is ground line in the gizzard. They must therefore 
have grit in the form of ground shells, granulated rock, 
or common gravel. All these things must be fed in 
form and quantities suited to the size of the bird. It 
is needless to say that water is a necessity for these 
pets, but it should be said that pure, clean water is 
more important for them than for ordinary fowls. 

Breeders of bantams aim to keep them as small in 
size as possible. Their weight should be about one- 



126 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



fifth that of standard fowls, and if smaller, so much 
the better. If perfect in form they are rarely ever 
too small to suit the owner or exhibitor. 

In breeding bantams with a view to keeping down 
their size, the smallest specimens, provided they are 
healthy and perfect in form, should always be chosen 
for breeders. And by smallest is not meant the light- 
est in weight, but such as have small frames, although 
they may be plump and hearty. It is commonly sup- 
posed that bantams are reduced in size by a starvation 
process, but this is not tluj ( asr, Tn rearing tlie chicks 




CORNER OF A BANTAM FARM. 



it is wise to feed generously and keep them growing 
thriftily until matured. By this method of rearing 
some birds will be overgrown, but the smaller ones 
will be of better shape and have better plumage, and 
be healthier than those grown by the starvation plan. 
The early maturing birds of a flock will generally 
be found to be the finest in bone and to have the small- 
est frame, and these are the ones to select for breeding, 
especially from the broods hatched in May and June. 
It is not advisable to hatch earlier than May, at least 
not until variable spring weather has passed. 




]?ANTAMS. 127 

As maturity can be hastened by natural condi- 
tions, the plan of hatching a part of the chicks in 
August and September 
may be wiselj' adopted. 
Birds hatched at this 
time are usually caught 
by the cool weather of 
autumn before they are white cochin bantams. 
fully feathered, and their growth is checked and ma- 
turity hastened in consequence. From these late 
hatches some of the best breeders for the next season 
will be obtained. It should be known, however, that 
the few eggs obtainable so late in the season are not 
as fertile as spring-laid eggs, and the young birds 
must have extra good care to pull them through the 
winter. 

To fix the dwarf habit of growth and fancy mark- 
ings, bantam experts freely resort to inbreeding. 
Healthy stock will not be injured by this means, but 
it is well to draw the line at brothers and sisters and 
not breed from them. 

The breeds of bantams recognized in the ''Ameri- 
can Standard *" number fourteen, not including the 
Game. These are grouped in six classes : Seabrights. 
Rose-Combed, Booted, Cochin, Japanese and Polish. 

Seabrights are the oldest and best known of all 
and are subdivided by the color of their plumage into 
Golden and Silver Seabrights. A cock of this variety- 
is shown on the extreme left of the group on next page» 
They have hen tails, that is, there is an absence of the 
usual sickle feathers. 

Rose-Comb Bantams may be regarded as dwarfs 



128 



BIGGLE PET BOOK. 



■of the Hamburg fowls. A specimen of the black 
variety is illustrated in the bird on the left of the tin- 
cup shown in the group. There is also a white variety 
of Rose-Comb. 

A black- tailed, white Japanese cock is shown m 
the left center of the group. There are pure whites, 
pure blacks, and various other shades of these pretty 
Jittlc birds. 




KTVK LEADING VARIKTIKS OF BANTAMS. 

Of the Cochins, there are Buffs, shown at the right 
of the group, the Whites, the Blacks, and the Partridge 
Cochins. These all follow the markings of the larger 
birds. See illustration on page 127. 

Of the Game class, the Black-Breasted Red is 
the most common and popular. A specimen cock is 
shown, perched on the edge of a pint-cup in the group. 
They are beautiful and stylish little pets, and put on 
all the pugnacious airs of their fighting relatives. 



Chapter XX. 



CANARIES. 




Of the dozen or more varieties of canaries that 
breed in the Hartz Mountains of Germany, is usually 
seen in this country a bright, cheery, happy little yellow 
fellow, which, except when he is molting or sick, is in 
constant song. The excellency of his song is largely a 
matter of early education and training. The breeders 
place the young birds in a darkened room where they 
can hear some superior singer in an adjoining room, 
and often they are further instructed with the flute or 
other musical instrument. 

Notwithstanding canaries have been bred 
in close confinement for many generations, 
they are an unusually healthy bird, and dis- 
ease is nearly always the result of neglect or misman- 
agement. I give below six rules, which, if faithfully 
followed, should keep a bird in perfect health and 
song. 

Keep the cage and all its appurtenances scrupu- 
lously clean. The perches when washed should be 
thoroughly dried before they are returned to the cage. 

Keep fresh, pure water always before the bird. 

Keep the bird out of draughts and in a room with 
an even temperature. A room highly heated in the 
daytime and cold at night is no place for a canary. 
Don't keep him in the kitchen ; the steam is bad for 
him. 



130 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

Keep the bottom of the cage sprinkled with sand 
or gravel. 

Keep a cuttlefish where the bird can get at it. 

Keep sugar, candy, figs, cakes and other delica- 
cies away from the cage. 

Feed a mixture composed of an equal quantity of 
canary seed, rape seed and millet. The best canary 
seed comes from Sicily. It should be bright and shiny 
and free from worms. Rape seed comes from Ger- 
many, while millet is grown in this country. This 
mixture should be the foundation for all feeding, but 
it is good to feed occasionally green stuffs like let- 
tuce, cabbage, sweet apple, chickweed, watercress, 
marigold flowers, weed seeds, which the bird seems to 
relish, a head of ripened millet or clover, a hemp seed 
or two very occasionally, and for young birds and 
birds molting, egg paste is stimulating and strength- 
ening. It is made as follows: Boil an egg one-half 
hour ; then rub it down with a spoon until it is smooth ; 
add an equal quantity of stale cracker or toast crumbs 
with a teaspoonful of pure cayenne pepper. Birds in 
full song do not require this food, but it might be 
given once a week, and it should form the principal 
food of young birds until they are able to crack 
canary and other seed. 

Usually in the latter part of August your bird 
will begin to molt. It is nature's way of renewing his 
coat and getting ready for winter. It will last from 
four to six weeks, and birds rarely sing during this 
period. The danger is in catching cold. The bird 
should be fed generously during this trying period. 
The egg paste will be good for him, as well as grated 



CANARIES. 131 

beet and carrot, with other green foods, and a little 
hemp seed will do no harm. 

While birds in their natural state are particularly 
free from disease, in captivity they are subject to 
complaints caused by their confinement and improper 
care and food. I give here some of the most frequent 
troubles, with the symptom and simple remedy. 

Diarrhoea is a common complaint, manifested by 
the watery condition of the droppings. Avoid green 
foods, keep the cage clean and the bird warm (70 
degrees) and dry; put a rusty nail in the drinking 
water. Give the bird a lump of chalk to peck at, and 
feed the egg and cracker food without the pepper. 

Asthma is usually the result of cold. The bird 
opens its beak and gasps for air. It wheezes and 
puffs itself out like a ball. Change the food. Give 
warm bread and milk every morning, with green foods 
twice a week, and hang a piece of raw salt pork covered 
with cayenne pepper in the cage. 

Loss of voice is usually caused by overfeeding, a 
cold or too much singing. Try the raw bacon covered 
with cayenne pepper ; also feed the egg paste, doub- 
ling the quantity of red pepper. 

Constipation can best be relieved by feeding 
green foods more frequently. In continued cases put 
two or three drops of castor oil in the bird's mouth. 
Apoplexy is caused by too rich food. The bird may 
drop from the perch and appear as dead, in fact it 
may be dead. Try sprinkling with cold water to 
revive, then change the food. 

If scale appears on the legs rub the feet and legs 
with a mixture of kerosene and olive oil. Look out 



132 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

for lice. If a white cloth is thrown over the cage at 
night, you may find in the morning many tiny red in- 
sects. Dust Persian powder all over the cage and 
through the feathers of the bird. 

Bare places on the head should be rubbed with a 
salve made of butter and sulphur. 

Catarrh and colds are indicated by a ruffling of 
the feathers ; beak often open and nostrils stopped up, 
under side of tongue becomes hardened. Keep out of 
draughts and feed the egg paste and increase the 
green foods. 

Pulling the feathers may be caused by too rich 
food, which causes an irritation of the skin. Feed a 
plain diet. 

I have often wondered why women who wanted 
work at home and young people who were fond of pets 
did not raise canaries. While it takes care and atten- 
tion, as does everything else which is profitable, it is 
easily within the capabilities of almost everyone. In 
parts of Europe many households are engaged in rais- 
ing and caring for these birds. It is said that con- 
siderably over one hundred thousand are imported into 
this country every year. One pair of canaries will 
raise several broods each year if permitted to do so. 
They should not be allowed to raise more than three 
hatches. Start with the very best stock you can 
afford; that is, the male a fine singer and the female ^ 
good color. The breeding cage should be at least ten 
inches wide by sixteen long and as many high. The 
bottom should have a drawer to hold the sand and 
gravel. Don't let the lice get a foothold, and they can- 
not do so if the cage is kept scrupulously clean. Place 



CANARIES. 133 

the cage where it is to remain permanently, strictly out 
of all draughts, and preferably against the wall, with a 
sunny, cheerful outlook, and about seven feet high. 
Provide pieces of old mortar or ground oyster shells 
as material for the new egg shells. Half of a cocoanut 
shell makes a good nest, while raw cotton answers for 
the nest lining, but bird dealers sell packages of deer's 
hair for this purpose. Let the male hang in an ad- 
joining cage until the birds are acquainted, then place 
him in the breeding cage. In a week after mating the 
hen will lay a small green egg, usually in the morning, 
and one each succeeding day until she sometimes has 
six. The first egg will hatch in thirteen days, and 
then one each day as they were laid. The female will 
do most of the incubation; the male may help occa- 
sionally. Don't bother the birds by displaying too 
much curiosity, particularly after the young are 
hatched. 

One of the best feeds for the parent birds while 
they are mating and sitting and rearing their brood is 
the egg paste mentioned above, together with green 
foods. It is also excellent for the young birds. When 
the latter leave the nest put them in a separate cage, 
and preferably in a separate room, and feed the egg 
paste and also canary and rape seed soaked in warm 
water. Cornmeal mixed with hard-boiled egg is also 
recommended. The young males will soon try to sing, 
and when three months old their education should com- 
mence. While canaries sing naturally, the superior 
excellence of their song is partly a matter of training. 

All birds in their natural state are usually free 
from disease. 



134 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

Feed plain foods. 

Give the bird a bath every day, except when molt- 
ing, when he will refuse it. 

Perches for a canary should never be less than 
seven-sixteenths of an inch in diameter. 

Feed liberally ; underfed birds may eat their eggs. 
Don't let old food accumulate; what is not eaten, 
throw out. 

To catch a bird throw a handkerchief over it. 
Hold it very gently. Its bones are fine and small and 
easily broken. 

The bird's claws should not get too long ; hold 
him gently in the left hand, and with a sharp pair of 
scissors cut off the extra growth. Hold the toe up to 
the light so that you can see how far down the veins 
come. Be careful not to cut these. 




BIRDS, KKKP away! 



Chapter XXI. 



OTHER BIRDS. 




" The secret of success with caged birds is to keep the water 
fresh and pure, and the cage and perches scrupulously cleans 

My feeling about our native birds is 
that it is much better to make friends of 
them than caged pets. When I see some 
naturally happy and cheerful bird, like the 
cardinal, losing the brilliancy of its eye 
and plumage, and hopping incessantly back and forth 
in a narrow cage, I always feel like opening the door 
and letting it go. 

We like to make friends with the birds at Elm- 
wood, to have them about the house and yard, and it is 
astounding how many there are when one knows when 
and where to look for them. I have 
counted as many as sixty different 
varieties in the course of a year 
around Elmwood. Years ago, I 
had a big martin box built, with 
some thirty compartments in it, 
and every year since they have 
occupied it, coming about April 
15th, and leaving when their brood is raised. What 
thousands of insects they eat in the course of the sum- 
mer ! Then we have wren boxes around, in the trees 
and on the porch-posts, and a box for the bluebirds. 
We have swallows at the barn and under the smoke- 
house eaves, with orioles, catbirds, song-sparrows, 




MARTIN BOX. 



136 RIGGLE PET BOOK. 

flickers, flycatchers, thrushes, kingbirds, goldfinches, 
scarlet tanagers and many others, in the shrubbery 
and near-by woods. No one is allowed to disturb or 
frighten them. 

I believe every boy and girl will get far more 
pleasure in locating the haunts of these feathered 
songsters, observing their different characteristics of 
flight and nest-building, and learning their natural 
songs and notes, than in keeping them behind prison 
bars. But if you must have a bird for a cage pet get 
it while it is young, just as it is about to leave the 
nest. An old bird, ten chances to one, will not sing, but 
will mope and pine for the freedom that once was his. 

Songbirds as pets maybe roughly divided into 
two classes — those which have hard bills, like the 
Canary and Kentuckj^ Cardinal, whose food is mainly 
seeds, grain, etc., and the long-billed birds, which eat 
mainly insects, worms, fruits and berries, of which the 
Mocking Bird is the type. Of our native seed-eating 
birds, sometimes seen caged, and valued both for 
their song and the beauty of their plumage, are the 
Goldfinch, Indigo Bunting, Bobolink or Reedbird, 
Cardinal Grosbeak or Kentucky Cardinal, Rose- 
Breasted Grosbeak (one of the most beautiful of birds), 
and the Nonpareil or Painted Bunting, a feathered 
beauty from the Southern States. These are all fed 
substantially as the canary, but to the fare of the 
larger birds should be added sunflower seeds, unhulled 
rice, ripe fruit and berries, and a meal bug occasion- 
ally. The egg paste mentioned in the last chapter is 
relished by almost all birds. 

The native insect-eating •' soft-billed " birds 




OTHER BIRDS. I37 

usually kept and sold by bird dealers are the Mocking- 
Bird, Brown Thrasher or Brown Thrush, Catbird, 
Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, 
Orchard Oriole, Robin, etc. These 
are more difficult to care for and 
keep in health, for they must have 
food prepared so as to closely re- ^,^^^,^^ ^,^^ ^^^ 
semble their natural insect diet. cage. 

Food f of soft-billed birds is put up and sold by bird 
stores under the name of mocking-bird food. There 
are various recipes for making this at home. A 
good one is as follows : One beef heart, cooked 
until it is thoroughly tender, the yolks of one dozen 
eggs, boiled for half an hour, one pound of water 
crackers ; grate all until they are fine. Add to this 
one pound of split peas and one pound of hemp seed 
ground fine in an ordinary coffee mill. Thoroughly 
mix and add one-half pound of maw meal. A small 
quantity of fresh lard may be added to keep it 
moist. Put away in air-tight glass jars. When fed ta 
mocking birds, this should be mixed with an equal 
quantity of grated raw carrot or mealy potatoes. 
Green food, as lettuce, chickweed, watercress, ripe 
berries, raisins, bits of apple, or even grass, will be 
relished, and meal bugs, insects, grasshoppers, spiders 
and ant eggs, which can be obtained of most bird 
dealers, are appreciated delicacies. Lean meat cut in 
thin strips like worms will be relished and may be fed 
in limited amounts. In their natural state these birds 
are all insect eaters, and this is one reason I deplore 
their being made captives. Our orchards and gardens 
need them so badly. 



138 



HIGGLE PET BOOK. 



The diseases of caged birds are mainly due to 
neglect or improper food. It is far easier to keep 
them well than to cure them when sick. Constipation 
may be relieved by feeding fresh green stuff, insects 
and meal worms for a few days. For diarrhoea, caused 
probably by spoiled food or impure water, a change of 
diet is usually beneficial. A rusty nail placed in the 
drinking water is said to be a cure. Give plenty of 
good, pure water for drink and for the daily bath, feed 
intelligently, keep out of draughts, and above all, keep 
the cage clean and you will be reasonably sure of suc- 
cess. 

Parrots, one of the longest-lived pets, have been 
known to live a hundred years or 
more. There are over three hun- 
dred and fifty species, but com- 
paratively few are desirable as 
cage pets or capable of talking. 
Be sure to buy a young bird — 
one that has been in captivity 
since leaving the nest. The va- 
riety to get is a matter of fancy 
and price. It is said parrots learn 
to talk better when confined in a 
cage than when allowed the free- 
dom of the house or chained to a perch. Have the 
cage amply large. A round cage, twelve inches in 
diameter, will do for a small parrot, but sixteen inches 
is the proper size for a large bird. 

Parrots are said to learn much quicker from a 
woman's voice. Having won the confidence of the 
bird by kmd treatment, slow and gentle motions 




TWO I'RIKNUS. 



OTHER BIRDS. I39 

about the cage, give the talking lesson late in the 
afternoon. Cover the cage with a cloth so that the 
attention of the bird will not be distracted ; pronounce 
the words quietly and distinctly and make them glide 
into each other, making the sentence as smooth as 
possible. Never split a parrot's tongue ; it is cruel 
and unnecessary ; in fact, it often prevents them from 
articulating distinctly. 

Keep plenty of sand and gravel in the cage. Give 
a plain diet with meat ; fresh bread and greasy foods 
absolutely prohibited. Give cracked corn, sunflower 
seeds, a little hemp with one soft feed a day, consist- 
ing of stale bread soaked in milk, or rice which has 
had boiling water poured over it. Leave on the stove 
for ten minutes, then place in colander and pour cold 
water over. Hard-boiled eggs mixed with bread, a 
few peanuts, ripe fruit in moderation, a mealy potato, 
pieces of dry toast and Polly's cracker are all admissi- 
ble. 

Diarrhoea is the most common complaint. Put 
the parrot in a warm place. Give plain food, avoid 
water, fruits and green stuff. In severe cases, put 
four drops of paregoric in a teaspoonful of boiled 
milk ; give this dose every three hours. A rusty nail 
in the drinking water acts as a precaution. For con- 
stipation, give live drops of castor oil with an equal 
amount of honey, twice a day. Anoint the vent with 
oil also. Constipation is apt to produce fits. Dip the 
bird in cold water to revive it. For asthma cut off the 
heating foods. If very ill give a paste made of boiled 
milk and flour with cayenne pepper. Keep bird in a 
warm place. 



I40 . BKiGLE PET BOOK. 

If the bird eats its feathers, it is in too small a 
cage, or the cage is not clean, or you have been feed- 
ing meat or greasy foods, or too much hemp seed. 
Give crushed corn, sunflower seed or padar. Give 
the bird cuttle fish and an ear of corn occasionally to 
play with, and an inch or two of sand in the bottom 
of the cage. Look out for insect pests. Rub insect 
powder all through the feathers in all parts of the 
body. 

In addition to this list of our native birds, there 
are a score or more of birds imported —Linnets, Larks, 
Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Bullfinches, etc., etc., all of 
which may be obtained of bird dealers in the cities. 

Owls make stupid pets, as they wink and blink in 
the daytime, and are most active at night when most 
young people are, or ought to be, asleep. Then, too, 
they are apt to be savage, and a nip from their power- 
ful beaks is to be avoided. 

The American Magpie in the Western States is 
very plentiful, and one must admit that his jaunty air 
and beautiful plumage are attractive. Some of them 
have acquired ability as linguists. When domesticated 
they become very tame and do not need to be confined ; 
in fact, they frequently become too familiar. As a 
thief he is without a rival. Like the crow he will eat 
almost anything, — scraps of meat, bread and vege- 
tables, — and what lie does not need for one meal he will 
hide for another. 

A crow makes au interesting pet, but sometimes a 
troublesome one. Taken just about the time he is 
ready to leave the nest, treated kindly and regularly 
fed, he soon becomes quite tame. We called ours 



OTHER BIRDS. I4I 

Jim, and at first we kept him in a cage, then we clipped 
t!ie feathers of one wing so that he could not fly, but 
he soon grew so attached to us that when his feathers 
in time carne in and he could fly as well as his wild 
brothers, he did not leave us. He roosted in a near-by 
pine tree and resisted all our efforts to bring him into 
the woodshed on cold and stormy nights. We boys 
would climb up and catch him after a great deal of 
trouble, and carry him to a warm perch in the shed, 
but the moment the door was open he would escape to 
his favorite tree. 

The belief that the tongue of the crow should be 
split in order to make it talk, is an error. 
Jim could call '' Hello " very plainly and use 
some other words, and one day we boys 
were nearly punished because Jim kept call- 
ing something like " old colored woman "' 
while our neighbor's cook was hanging out 
the clothes. He did it so well, she, thinking ■''"^'' 
it was we boys, came in and complained to mother. 

Jim would come flying and hopping to meet us 
when we came from school, sometimes with the tail of 
a mouse dangling from his throat, for he was a great 
mouser and would swallow the little ones whole, head 
first, and it would take him some time to work the 
mouse down his throat. We fed hmi scraps of all kinds 
from the table ; meats, bread and vegetables, and he 
picked up the balance of his living in his own way. 
He was very inquisitive, mischievous, a great scold, 
and, worst of all, a thief. It never did to leave a pie 
or pudding on the window to cool or Jim would be at 
it in a moment. Bright objects always attracted his 




142 BIGGLE PET BOOK. 

attention, and he had a secret hiding-place where he 
carried pieces of glass, bright pebbles, string, and, 
alas! mother's silver thimble. With all his faults, 
Jim was one of our favorites. 



FOOT NOTES. 

All caged birds need gravel. Don't overlook it. Sprinkle it 
freely in the bottom of the cage. 

Make the holes of the wren box just as large as a twenty-five 
cent piece. The wren can get in, but the sparrows can't. 

Have the cages large enough. For a mocking bird or a bird 
equally large, the cage should be not less than i6 x 24 x 24 inches. 

A good way to get maggots for insect-eating birds is to obtain 
some fresh sheep's heads and put them in an open box or barrel, 
and let the flies deposit their eggs ; after two or three days you 
will find hundreds of maggots rolling out. Put a couple of inches 
of bran or meal in the box or barrel, and the maggots will live in it. 

Broken legs or wings had best be left to nature to heal. Take 
all perches out of the cage and put in soft flannel. A young friend's 
canary broke its leg, and after two or three ineffectual attempts to 
set it he took a pair of shears and cut it off just above the fracture. 
In a few days the bird was getting along very comfortably with 
one leg. 

Meal worms are also greatly relished. Look in some old meal 
chest for worms to start with. Fill an old crock three-quarters 
full of old leather and bran and put in your worms, a hundred if 
you have found so many, and tie a woolen cloth over the mouth, 
wetting it occasionally with water. In a short time there should be 
thousands of worms. Feed a few at a time. 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Angora Cats 57. 6i 

Bantams 123 

Belgian Hares 90 

Birds . 135 

Breathing Organs, Diseases 

of 71 

Broken Bones 82 

Bull Dog 21 

Canaries 129 

Cats, Varieties of 57 

Cavies 101 

Chesapeake Bay Dog . . 20, 34 

Coach Dog 21, 33 

Coons 107 

Coon Dogs 29 

Collies 34, 35, 41 

Crows 140 

Digestive Apparatus, Dis- 
eases of 67 

Distemper . . .... So 

Doses for Dog or Cat ... 65 
Dogs Killing Chickens ... 11 
English Sheep Dog ... 35, 39 
Eye, Disease of the .... 76 

Feeding Dogs 11 

Feed for Cats 53 

Ferrets no 

Fleas .... 74 

Foxes 107 

French Poodle 21 

Goats 84 

Grass 71 

Great Dane 27, 32 

Ground Hog 109 

Guinea Pigs loi 

Hounds 23, 34 

Hydrophobia 77 

Killing Dog or Cat .... 82 

Lice 117, 132 

Mastiffs . 26, 32 

Medicine for Cats 66 

Mice 105 



PAGE 

Nervous System, Diseases 

of the .... 76 

Newfoundland Dog . . 27, 32 
Opossums . . 108 

Organs of Special Sense, 

Diseases of 75 

Owls ... 140 

Parrots 138 

Persian Cats 61 

Pigeon Diseases ... 119 

Pointer Dog 29, 34 

Polecat 109 

Ponies 83, 85 

Pomeranian Dog 21 

Prairie Dogs 109 

Pug Dog 20 

Puppies, Training of . ... 9 

Rabbits 87 

Rabbit Diseases 96 

Rabbits, Varieties of ... . 90 

Rabbit Hutches 93 

Rabies . . .... 77 

Rats 106 

St. Bernard Dogs ... 25, 32 

Setter Dog . 28, 34 

Sheep .... 83 

Shepherd Dog 35 

Skin, Diseases of the . - . 73 
Spaniels . . . 19, 34 

Spitz Dog 21 

Squirrels . . . . ... 103 

Terriers . 17, 33 

Tortoise-shell Cats - . 58 
Training Sheep Dogs ... 41 

Tricks for Cats 54 

Tricks for Dogs 45 

Varieties of Pigeons .... 120 

Washing Cats 55 

Washing Dogs 12 

Woodchuck 109 

Worms 70, 71 

Wounds 81 



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ing the whole ground of the dair3^ Those on ailments 
and remedies are worth the whole price of the book to 
any one owning even a small dairy. 144. pages. 130 illus- 
trations. Price, 50 cts. 

No. 5— BIGGLE SWINE BOOK 

Covers Eastern and Western practices, diseases of 
hogs, especially cholera, feeding, butchering, marketing. 
Illustrated with reproductions of photographs direct from 
life. 144 pages. Price, 50 cts. 

No. 6— BIGGLE HEALTH BOOK 

Tells what to do till the doctor comes. It is just what 
most families need, — a plain, common-sense monitor and 
guide to good health. Printed on good paper, with 184 
pages. Price, 50 cts. 

No. 7— BIGGLE PET BOOK Price, 50 cts. 
Wilmer Atkinson Co., Publishers 

Philadelphia 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



002 824 257 8 



